Changing with the Heart of a Lion
by mocasoul
Summary: After an incident with Chuck Bass, Katrina Sinclair is forced to live with her grandmother in Georgia leaving her life in New York behind until, one day, she gets a visit from Chuck's best friend and her former friend, Nate Archibald. Nate/OC DON'T OWN!
1. Chapter 1

Katrina sat on the front porch of her grandmother's house in Atlanta, Georgia in the middle of June thinking about her past year in New York. She missed her life there, but she knew she could never go back…especially after the incident. It marred her already bad reputation even more, ruined her relationship with her parents, caused her "friends" to flee, and tore the developing relationship between her an Nate apart. Normally, she wouldn't have let rumors and speculations posted on Gossip Girl bother her, but it was beginning to take a toll on her. So what happened to her, exactly?

One night at one of Blair's party, sometime before graduation, Katrina "party girl" Sinclair lived up to her name and was completely plastered. The next day, she woke up in bed with Blair's on and off boyfriend, Chuck. See, that would've been trouble enough with rumors of her being a slut, but when Katrina accused Chuck of rape after a video of alleged incident was leaked, she was deemed a liar as well. The truth was, she didn't know what happened that night and neither did Chuck. He said that he was just as passed out as she was, but with his bad boy reputation…who could tell? So, after graduation, she left for Georgia leaving her old life behind to adjust to a new one. That is until she got a surprise visitor one day.

She had went inside only briefly to help her grandmother, Lucille, in the kitchen as she prepared for a family cookout…two days in advance. For Katrina, this was one of her firsts since her parents and herself never attended them.

"I don't know how you cook in this heat, grandma."

"Oh, it's fine. I swear you're parents spoiled you. I thought I taught my daughter better than that, but I guess she forgot all that stuff when she married you're good for nothing father…spoiling you like that…and keeping you away from you're mother's side of the family…ought to be ashamed of himself…"

"I know…but, I'm glad I'm here with you now." Katrina said as she hugged her grandmother. She was glad that she was going to be there with her because she would be the only person she would really know.

"I'm glad you're here too, baby." Lucille said as she stirred a pot of beans on the stove. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and she looked at the clock on the wall. It was pretty early in the day, and the only people knocking this early was Jehovah witnesses or crack heads. Both unwelcome at the Johnson residence. "Go see who that is…if it's one of those crack heads, you know what to do."

"I know…" she said as she went to the door. She opened it and didn't see a crack head, but she didn't like who she saw…Nate Archibald. "Nate?! What the hell are you doing here?!" she said feeling angry.

"Girl, watch your mouth!" Lucille scolded her as she stood next to Katrina at the door.

"Katrina, I…" Nate said as he was trying to find the words, but they were lost when he looked at how beautiful she still was. Her brown sugar skin tone and, captivating, brown eyes stopped him in his tracks. Her luscious lips tempted him to kiss her. "I need to talk to you. It's important." he said and Katrina rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Katrina, baby, don't be rude. Come in, please." Lucille said as she stepped aside and allowed him in. "I'm her grandmother, Lucille."

"Thank you. I'm Nate. I went to school with Katrina. It's nice meeting you." he said as he walked in and Katrina looked at him as if she wanted to kill him.

"Please, have a seat. And it's nice meeting you, too. You want something to drink?" Lucille said putting of her best hostess act.

"No, thank you for offering." he said staring at Katrina. She was extremely pissed at him for having the nerve to sit there acting as if he didn't do anything wrong after what he did to her. He abandoned her after the video was leaked and accused her of lying. She was hurt the most by him because she thought she could trust him, but he was just like everyone else…believing rumors. She didn't give a damn about Blair and her minions calling her a slut and a liar and probably even worse things, but it hurt to have the one guy she thought she could trust ever since they were kids turn on her. Yes, they had history. Her mother, Donna, was a dancer and New York socialite like Serena's mom. In fact, they were best friends, and their daughters were fairly good until Serena slept with Nate. The thing that burned Katrina up was that she knew Nate ever since her mother and his mother arranged play dates for them when they were children. As if it wasn't bad enough she had to watch her enemy, Blair, be with the guy she wanted, she had to share a mutual feeling of betrayal by Serena with Blair as well.

"Grandma, do you think Nate and I could speak in private?"

"Sure, honey. I have to work in the garden a bit anyway. Gotta pick those greens for the cookout. If you'd like to, you could stay for lunch, Nate."

"Okay. Thank you." Nate said not knowing if he'll be able to have lunch if Katrina doesn't react well to the important thing he had to tell her.

"Nate, what the fuck do you want?"

"You don't need to be hostile, Katrina…"

"The hell I don't! You betrayed me! I thought you would have my back, but you chose that fake ass friend of yours over our friendship! He raped me and you chose his side!"

"He didn't rape you."

"Get out! Just get the hell out!" she said as she pushed him, but he grabbed her wrists to stop her. "I'm calling the cops if you don't leave…"

"Katrina, I'm not leaving…not until I tell you something first."

"Fuck you!"

"You can be mad at me all you want, but you have to know what really happened that night. Chuck may be a lot of things, but he's not a rapist! And I have proof that he's not. You remember the video?"

"If you think you're going to make me watch the video of my own rape, then you can just got to hell! You sick son a bitch!"

"Do you remember the video?!" he said looking sternly into her eyes and for a moment Katrina couldn't help but feel weak in the knees when she saw his beautiful blues piercing into her brown ones. Though, she knew better than to fall for such a jerk like him. She tried to fight the tears that was building up.

"Of course, I remember that fucking video! Damn near all of New York remembers it and thanks to Gossip Girl, I can't forget it…" she said as her voice cracked and she knew the tears that were building had already came.

"Well, that doesn't matter anymore." he said and she gave him a look. "Hear me out…just listen to me before you get upset."

"Fine…"

"It wasn't real. Chuck didn't rape you. In fact, you were raped at all that night."

"What…"


	2. Chapter 2

"What the fuck are you talking about, Nate?! Of course, I was raped! The video…" she trailed off, but stopped as she remembered it.

"It's not real. Well, it wasn't the real video was much longer and the one sent to Gossip Girl was edited. A few weeks ago, the real video was sent by someone Jason Cromwell knew."

"Jason Cromwell?! What the hell does he have to do with it?!"

"You'd have to see the video to find out."

"No, I'm not going through that again. I've spent so much time here trying to get over my rape. It's a little hard to believe that it didn't happen."

"Please, do it for me. Do you trust me?"

"I don't trust you…I thought I could, but I can't. You chose to let my reputation and rumors sway you into thinking I was just some slut lying to cover my own ass."

"I know, and I'm sorry. Look, I should've believed you. I should have know that you truly believed that you were raped, but I didn't believe Chuck would rape you. It's just not him, and I know that. You should know that too. Look at the video…"

"Fine…Just give me a moment." she said as she sat down on the couch and Nate sat down next to her. She scooted away from him, but she couldn't help but notice how good he smelled. He always smelled good with the combination of his shampoo and cologne. Some things just never change…

"Are you ready?"

"Just get this thing over with…" she said as she held Nate's phone in her hands and stared at the screen. She saw herself passed out on a bed in Blair's house and nearly cried. She saw her Nina Ricci dress hiked up a bit exposing her plump ass a little. The viewpoint of the camera was as if it was hidden in the vent above the bed. Suddenly, she saw Jason and Kirk drag a passed out Chuck into bed with her.

"Dude," Kirk said as looked at Jason. "She's totally trashed. You think this chick will wake up and see us?"

"No." Jason said in his thick Australian accent. "She'll be out for a while…"

"Damn, 'party girl' got a nice ass…like one of those girls in a T-Pain video." Kirk said and Katrina felt like she wanted to rip out his light brown, wavy hair by the roots.

"I know, right? Alright, let's get back to business. Okay, Kirk, take Chuck's hand and use it to rip off her panties. And try not to get carried away with her ass…"

"Okay…" he said as he did what Jason asked. "Shane, could you stop being such a pussy and give us a hand."

"I don't know, guys. What if she goes to the cops and we get caught?"

"We're editing the video. We won't get caught. Now, quit being such a candyass and help us. And since you're being such a pussy you get to undress Chuck." Kirk said with a smirk and Jason laughed as Shane did as he was told. Katrina didn't know why, but she had a feeling that Shane was the one that leaked the un-edited video to Gossip Girl. She turned her attention back to the video.

"There, I did what you wanted…" Shane said as he stared at the bed. They threw Chuck's half dressed body on top of her body. They ripped her dress and she almost wanted to kill them for ruining one of her favorite dresses. "I just want to know how this is going to work and what the hell it's got to do with her."

"Well, it didn't matter who the girl was." Jason explained. "we just had to find the first girl to pass out and I knew that Chuck would be a complete wreck, he never disappoints. Anyway, we pin the rape on Chuck and finally put that preening asshole in his place. Him and Nate Archibald…"

"Whatever…I'm done with this." Shane said as he was walking out of the room.

"No, you're not." Jason said as he blocked him from leaving.

"Get out of my way, Jason."

"No, you're in this whether you like it or not. We wouldn't want your little secret getting out, would we?"

"You think I give a shit about what people would think?"

"I don't think your parents would like to know that their beloved son has a heroin problem, would they? You'd be cut off so fast…"

"Yeah, well at least I wouldn't be some lame guy cooking up a plot to get back at Chuck and Nate like you're five years old…Wait, what else are you planning? This seems a little too extreme for you, and I know you planning something else. Oh god, are you going to rape her?!"

"No! There won't even be any penetration. This is just pretend. As long as she thinks she was raped by Chuck…"

"How would this work? They're both passed out."

"Don't worry about that part. I hired actors to dub some voices and double as them. Plus, we were going to move Chuck around…like the little puppet he is."

"You're twisted…" Shane said and the video was cut off there, the other footage must have been the fake footage because she remembered the video being a little longer.

Katrina sat there feeling as if all the things she was feeling for the past months was for nothing. Everything betrayal she felt, every hurt was for nothing. Sure, she knew her reputation was bad, but to be called a liar when she truly believed she was raped was more than she could take. Now, she was a liar, but it wasn't her fault. She had been deceived as well and now all she felt was rage.

"Katrina?" Nate asked with a look of concern on his face…that beautiful chiseled face that made her weak in the knees. "Are you okay?"

"It was all a lie…I…"

"I know. I told you Chuck didn't rape you. He would never do that."

"Oh, shut up…" she said feeling annoyed that Nate was so blind to how Chuck really was. If he only knew half the things Chuck was capable of. "Anyway, I'm going to kill that Aussie asshole! He's going to pay for what he did to me. All that time…

"Getting revenge is not like you. Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down, Nate. You don't know me. You never have known me. You never bothered to ask me what I was feeling throughout all of this. You just believed all lies and the rumors and accusations and I had to suffer through it…alone."

"Forgive me for that. I know I fucked up, but I'm here now and I will never doubt you again. I'm sorry."

"Fine…I forgive you. But, now you have to tell me how you found me."

"Well, I kinda had Shane hack into the school's database and I found you here."

"Really, Nate…Get over here and give me a hug, you little shit."

"So, I can stay for lunch?" he said as he hugged her.

"Yeah…I guess. You still owe me for what you did…But you can stay."


	3. Chapter 3

Nate sat with Katrina and her grandmother in the kitchen eating pork chops leftover from the night before. This wasn't the kind of food that would be his last meal, but he had to admit that they were delicious. He was making small talk with her grandmother while she ate in silence. He hoped showing her that video was the right thing to do. He hated to see her hurt and it killed him knowing that he was part of it. He should've known that Jason would have had something to do with it. He had hated Chuck for so long and Nate was hated as well just for associating with him. Chuck was his best friend, but he wished he didn't inherit his enemies.

"So, Nate, where are you staying?" Lucille asked.

"Uh…I'm not sure at the moment. I was hoping to find a hotel."

"Oh, you ain't gonna have much luck there. Hotels are usually booked up this time of year. What with family reunions going on and all. In fact, we got a lot of people in hotels for our cookout. Well, Nate, how long are you staying in Georgia?" she asked and Katrina gave her a look. "What?"

"I know you not about to ask what I think you're going to ask…"

"Yes, I am. Nate, would you like to stay here until you leave?"

"That's very kind of you, but I couldn't. I don't want to feel like an intruder. I think I will take a chance on finding a hotel. But, thanks for your offer."

"Oh come on, now. I think you refusing my invitation is ruder than staying here. Plus, I think it would be nice for Katrina to have some old friends from school since her parents just sent her down here. Must miss you guys like crazy." Lucille said not seeing Nate's look at Katrina. She must have not told her grandmother the real reason she was in Georgia.

"Okay, I think I will stay here. Thank you so much."

"Well, now that it's settled…Katrina will prepare your room. Baby, fix up the guest room while I clear the table. Please excuse us, I would have had the room fixed up if I had known you didn't have a place to stay."

"It's okay and, again, thank you."

"You're welcome." Lucille said as she ran the dishwater and Katrina looked at her grandmother as if she was the most evil woman in the world.

"Follow me, Nate." she said reluctantly and he followed her. Once they were in the room, she closed the door and turned to him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she whispered to him a little harshly.

"What? She offered. She's a very lovely lady."

"You came down here without finding a hotel…really? I think you planned this."

"Okay…I kind of planned this. Sort of. I wasn't expecting your grandmother to be so nice, but I guess it's true what they say about Southern hospitality." he said with a smile. That same smile that drove her crazy…it was almost boyish, but still sexy.

"Oh, I should just tell her now that you took advantage of her. So, where are your bags Mr. Smarty-pants?" she said as she made the bed taking the old sheets off the bed and put new ones on and Nate gave her a weird look. "What?"

"When did you learn to do that? Making a bed. You make a bed like my housekeeper." he said feeling fascinated by her doing something so simple as making a bed. He was watching her and noticed her brown skin glowing in the sun-lit room. Her hair was just as he remembered it when she left…down her back in soft curls.

"Well, believe it or not, my mother. She made me make my bed and do chores when my dad wasn't home. He's the one that wanted the maid. 'Donna, we will not have our daughter learning skills like she's a housekeeper. Slavery days are over.'" she said mocking her father. "I swear he overreacts sometimes."

"But, every time I came over I always saw a maid. What about her?"

"My mom told her she didn't have to do anything, but teach me how to clean and we paid her anyway. My grandmother wasn't lying when she said she taught my mother a lot of things, and I'm glad she gave her some values that's made her humble. I've done my own chores for a while. Just don't tell my dad that, he still doesn't know about that."

"Yeah, your grandmother is an amazing woman. Is that why you haven't told her the real reason you're down here?"

"Why did you have to bring that shit up?"

"I'm just saying that you should probably tell her."

"What is this? Put Katrina on trial day? Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like that when you were having an affair with a married, older woman that paid you for sex? You helped your dad escape out of the country when he was a wanted man."

"Okay, I get it."

"You better get it. You hurt Vanessa for that ancient woman…"

"Wait, why do you care about Vanessa? I thought you didn't like her."

"Well, I didn't, but I liked her better than Blair or Serena. By the way, going back to Blair after she broke up with your best friend was a fucked up move."

"Well, thankfully, that didn't last long…"

"Why, she wanted her darling jerk Chuck back or did you get bored with her because she was too young for you?" Katrina joked, but Nate wasn't laughing.

"No, I left her because I wanted you…" he said looking sternly at her as he walked closer to her. He held her face in his hands and leaned in to kiss her, but she stopped him.

"Nate, what are you doing?"

"I'm giving you what you and I both want. Serena told me why you two weren't friends. It's because of me. Both of you love me."

"I don't love you, and get your fucking hands off of me. You really have some big ego if you believe that…" she said but was interrupted by Nate kissing her. She didn't want to admit it, but he could kiss and she did want him. In between his relationship with Vanessa and Blair, before the incident, she and him were flirting a bit, but it never went far. After that night at Blair's party, all hope of them getting together was lost and destroyed when that video came out. Suddenly, she felt like slapping herself for allowing her mind to ruin a perfectly good moment by thinking of the betrayal she felt by Nate. So, instead of slapping herself, she pulled away from the kiss and slapped him.

"What was that for?!" he said as he rubbed the burning spot on his cheek.

"You think you can just come here and play hero after what you did? You showed me the real video and exposed Jason Crowell's fucked up plan…so what? That still doesn't change the fact that you didn't have my back when I thought I could count on you. I've known you longer than Chuck or Serena or Blair and her stupid little clique. It shouldn't have mattered what my reputation was, I really thought I was raped. Hope you enjoy the room…asshole." she said as she stormed out of the room leaving him there confused and angry. She was really starting to irritate him with this whole not forgiving him thing.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day was rough for Nate because he had little sleep the night before. It was unbearably hot and humid, even at night, and the quiet night was making it hard for him to sleep. He found it to be funny that a New Yorker, used to noisy loud nights, found it hard to sleep in complete silence…except for some crickets. All of that and the thought of kissing Katrina was in his head all night, and if she wasn't so damn stubborn, he'd walk to her room and make love to her on her bed. Not that he wanted to disrespect her lovely grandmother's home, but he couldn't stop thinking about how sexy she looked and how much he wanted her. The truth was, that he wanted her more than she could ever know, and he wanted her still after the incident. But, he caved in to pressure of his "friends" and chose to be a follower.

"Well, good morning, Nate. I'm making breakfast. Please, have a seat."

"Good morning. It smells delicious."

"Thank you." she said as she turned back to the stove stirring a pot of grits. Nate knew he would have vomited at the sight of the unhealthy food she was cook if she was making it in New York, but he had to prove to Katrina that he was a humble guy. "Well, good morning, Katrina. Girl, you look like you woke up in a tornado. Go comb your hair, baby." she said and Nate saw her less than perfect appearance. He had to stifle a laugh that was building in his throat as he was used to seeing her looking attractive and put together.

"Grandma, I always come into the kitchen like this in the morning and it never bothered you before." she said scratching in her head. It was way past due for a hair salon appointment, but she didn't want to go to just any hair salon because she had developed a relationship with her hair stylist and you never cross them or you'll regret it.

"Well, we didn't have company then."

"He's nobody special…" she mumbled.

"What was that?" Lucille asked and Nate looked at Katrina with a smirk.

"Nothing." she said as she glared at him. She sat down at the table across from Nate and wondered how he woke up looking so perfect with the right amount of messy hair to created that perfect bed-head look. Slight stubble on his face…that beautiful face that held his perfect features and those liquid blue eyes. And those lips. The boy could really kiss and she wanted to do more than kiss, but she had to make sure he knew that he was wrong. She had to make sure he knew he hurt her. Although, she wished she wasn't so stubborn at times…because she really wanted to sleep with him after that kiss.

"Katrina, baby," Lucille said interrupting her thoughts. "I hope you don't mind going to the store today. Can you believe I ran out of sugar? You know I need to make my famous lemon cake or you know there might be a fight if I don't. Oh, I need some lemons, eggs…How about you take Nate with you? I know you're gonna need some help with all this. You could give him a tour of the neighborhood."

"Sure…I guess he can come along."

About an hour later, after breakfast, Katrina and Nate got ready and headed out the door. He had taken a taxi to her house and didn't see a car anywhere. And from what he saw, they were out of city limits with very few neighbors around. He knew that she, like him, was used to taking a taxi, the subway, a limo, or even walking in Manhattan but he expected her grandmother to have a car. That reminded him to have some things sent down to Georgia. He only brought one change of clothes in his messenger bag and he was planning of having the rest of his stuff sent down. They were walking to the end of the driveway when he stopped her.

"Wait, how are we getting to the store. Your grandmother lives out in the country and neither of you have a car."

"We're taking the bus. Don't tell me you're afraid to ride the bus with normal people, Nate. You know what, Nate, I wish you would drop this whole superior New Yorker shit. My grandmother might can't see that you're being so fucking fake, but, remember, that we were once in the same circles and we both know what fake looks like." she said as she walked ahead of him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him. "What the hell?! Let go of me!"

"Look, you can just drop this whole humble act. You really think that you're better than me because you make your own bed or you take a bus to a grocery store? You know what, you weren't concerned with all that shit when you were out partying and drinking with all the 'it' girls in Manhattan wearing dresses and outfits that probably cost more than your grandmother's house. You think I'm going to feel sorry for you because your fucking reputation got you in trouble and no one believed you? What do you expect when you were out binge drinking and acting like a total slut in clubs?!"

"Fuck you, Nate! You have no reason to talk, you man whore! All I've ever done was have your back and you turned it on me. I was there with you when I found out that your dad was a wanted man and I offered to talk to my parents to help you, but you turned it down because of your damn pride. But, apparently, you didn't have too much pride because you slept with Catherine for money!"

"Don't throw that in my face. Apparently, you've forgotten about all the back-stabbing and scheming you used to do. I bet it's so convenient to forget all the bad shit you've done when you constantly bring up other people's mistakes."

"I don't forget! I live with my mistakes everyday. I'm trying to change. Serena did it, why can't I? I didn't like the old me and I thought you would like a new me more enough to…You know what, never mind. Lets go before we miss that bus." she said as she turned around and started to walk ahead of him again.

"Katrina…" Nate said in a soft voice as he pulled her back around to him. "Okay, I was a complete ass before, but I do hope you change. You'd be better than the rest of us in this endless cycle of deceit and fake smiles. By the way, Serena didn't change that much. Remember, she started partying again when Georgina came around. So, what is this really about?"

"I'm not telling you!"

"Don't be difficult. Just tell me."

"Okay, if you really want to know…I wanted to change because I thought you would like me more. Kind of like the way you liked Vanessa. She was perfect compared to me…are you happy, now?" she said as she turned, again, away from him, but he pulled her back.

"Yes, I'm very happy. All I've ever wanted was you, and I'm sorry I didn't have your back when you needed me."

"Yeah, you were a real punk for that." she said and he gave her a look. "Sorry…"

"Anyway, I have your back now. I was wondering if you wanted to…"

"Hook up?" she said with a skeptical look on her face.

"You really should let someone finish a sentence…"

"Fine. Finish it."

"I want you to be my girlfriend. I want you." he said as he kissed her. She didn't allow herself to remember the hurt because she didn't have a reason to hold onto that. She had Nate.


	5. Chapter 5

Katrina and Nate were walking around the grocery store and Nate felt uncomfortable. He had never gone grocery shopping in his life. In a way, he had kind of wished that he had done this before because Katrina felt completely comfortable. He wondered if she picked up this skill in New York or had the lovely Lucille taught her this.

"Katrina, what you doin' here today?" said a petite dark skinned girl working behind the jewelry counter. Already, Katrina has made some new friends and part of him was worried that she would end up staying in Georgia instead of coming back to New York. He really wanted her, and he didn't know if they were strong enough for a long distance relationship.

"Hello, Latoya. I didn't know you were working today."

"Yeah, girl, had to cover for someone. Damn near cussed out my boss for callin' me so early in the mornin'…anyway, who's the cutie?" Latoya asked and Katrina didn't know how she would introduce him. That had just agreed to be a couple just thirty minutes ago, and she hadn't quite gotten used to saying that she was dating Nate Archibald.

"This is Nate. We went to school together." she said looking at Nate's face making sure he wasn't offended. He didn't show any signs of it.

"Nice to meet you." he said extending his hand and she shook it.

"I'm Latoya. I'm her cousin."

"I'm her boyfriend." he said and Katrina nearly choked him. Of course, he wouldn't let something like that slide.

"Oh…" Latoya said with a weird look on her face as she started at Katrina.

"What is it, Latoya?" Katrina said sensing that there was something on Latoya's mind and she was one to always express it.

"Okay, you know I ain't got a problem with y'all two datin', and you know we all love Grandma Lucille, but uh…you ain't gonna take him to the family thing tomorrow, is you?" she said with a worried look on her face.

"I…uh…yes?" Katrina said a little unsure if that was a good idea because most of her family didn't like her. Thanks to her father, most of her cousins, aunts, and uncles haven't seen her or her mother in years. Most of them called them uppity, stuck up snobs and if she showed up with a rich, white guy, they'd never stop.

"If you do, you know I gotcha back. Those crazy ass people need to just get over it and realize that this whole bullshit just crazy and they need to stop. Ain't none of us gettin' younger."

Suddenly Nate's phone rang and it was Chuck. He knew it wouldn't be long until he would call him, especially since he didn't tell him about his little trip. But, he knew he couldn't let Katrina know he was talking to Chuck or she would kill him.

"Excuse me." he said as he stepped a few feet away and Katrina nodded. "Hello, mom."

"Well, hello, son." Chuck said in a sarcastic tone. "Nathaniel, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into? I mean, not even a call or text…or even a damn tweet." Chuck teased as if he was his mother.

"Ha, ha, Chuck." he whispered once he knew he was far enough so Katrina wouldn't hear him talking to Chuck. "I've been a little busy."

"How in the world could you possibly be busy in Atlanta, Georgia?"

"How the hell did you know where I was?!"

"Does it matter, Nathaniel?"

"Yes, it matters. Stay out of it, Chuck! I'm handling some business here, and I don't need you getting involved."

"Could that business go by the name of Katrina Sinclair?"

"Fuck you…Okay, thanks to your stupid little feud with Jason, a girl's life is ruined."

"As if her reputation for being a partying lush wasn't bad enough…"

"You know what, Chuck…you're an asshole."

"Oh, name calling is so petty. I thought we were friends, Nate. Don't tell me you're going to throw away our friendship for Katrina 'party girl' Sinclair? That would just crush me…" he said with a sarcastic chuckle.

"I'm hanging up…"

"Not so fast, Nathaniel. Do you honestly believe that you're going to play hero and she'll just willingly run into your arms when she finds out that you're still dating Vanessa?"

"I'm not dating Vanessa!"

"You will be. Let's just end this whole foolishness by you getting your ass on the next place out of Georgia to New York and make up with Vanessa."

"Vanessa's back in town?" he asked hating that he was curious that he wanted to know that. He had ended it with her on sort of friendly terms, not at first, but they eventually smoothed things over and they had moved on, at least he did. "I can't…Katrina and I…"

"There isn't going to be a Katrina and you. If she comes back, Blair will make her life hell. You know that. So, if you really want to protect your little pet project, I suggest you just leave her there in Hicksville and forget about her."

"Well, I just can't leave her. She's coming back to New York and she wants revenge. Jason really screwed up her life and…I'm not blaming her for wanting to get even. Just hold Blair off when we return, okay?"

"Why should I do that? I mean, Katrina did accuse me of rape, and I clearly didn't do it. Why should I help her? Her accusation hurt my reputation too, you know?"

"It was already damaged and you know that. You should help her because you owe it to her because you know it's your fault that Blair was behind all the rumors sent to Gossip Girl. You helped send her into a near mental collapse and you…"

"Don't blame me because your 'girlfriend' couldn't take the truth. No one made her go to clubs nearly every night and drink like a fish."

"Just make sure Blair doesn't do anything to Katrina when she returns and see if you can dig dirt on Jason, and I'm pretty sure you have dirt on him because of your stupid feud. I'll talk to you later." Nate said as he hung up and walked back to Katrina and Latoya.

"Is everything alright, Nate?" Katrina asked with a worried look on her face.

"Yes. I was talking to my mother. I told her to send some of my things down."

"That's cool. Well, I have some good news…sort of. It depends on how you look at the situation. You're coming with me tomorrow! I know it's a little soon since we're barely dating for a little less than an hour, and we have to worry about a little scrutiny from bitter family members, that I'll handle myself, but I didn't want to leave you alone to be bored sitting all by yourself in my grandmother's house all day."

"Wow, that's great! I really appreciate that you wee thinking of me."

"And don't worry…if they give us any trouble, Latoya's got our backs."

"I can't wait." he said thinking about how he wasn't looking forward to that and much less looking forward to their return to New York. He wondered how long he could stall for time.


	6. Chapter 6

It was the day of the family cookout and Katrina was nervous. She knew that her family didn't like her, but that wasn't her fault. If her father wasn't so difficult she would have known her grandmother and new favorite cousin better. She wished that her mother could be with her family again, but there was a big Broadway show opening and she was the choreographer, so she couldn't make it. Her father wouldn't come down even if he was paid to do it.

"Nate, are you ready?" Katrina asked as they were walking to the park where the cookout was being held. She had never seen many of her family and was searching for Latoya in the crowd of unfamiliar faces.

"No. What the hell was I thinking? I'm the only white guy here…are you sure I should be here?" he said scanning the crowd with an anxious look on his face.

"I'm not even sure I should be here…" she trailed off and then smiled as soon as she saw Latoya helping her grandmother set up the food table. Latoya spotted her and Nate and walked over to them smiling.

"Hey, girl. Hey, Nate." she said as she hugged them.

"Hello, Latoya. Damn, I'm so nervous. I feel so nauseous."

"Well, girl, you betta get ya stomach in check 'cause you 'bout to eat some good food. How you holdin' up, Nate?"

"I'm nervous as hell. Are you sure it's okay for…me…to be here?"

"Oh, you worried about the race thing. Well, I hate to break it to ya, but you in the wrong part of America if ya worried about that shit. I'll try my best to keep 'em off ya. And if they don't listen to me, I'll call in the big guns…Grandma Lucille."

"Thanks. Does she need any help with the food?"

"Naw…she got it. You gonna be okay eatin' some country ass food, Katrina? You know we known to throw down with the best soul food."

"I think I can handle it. It kind of grew on me because that's all Grandma Lucille cooks. It's him I'm worried about…" she said laughing as she pointed at Nate and he shot her a look. "What?" she said in an innocent tone.

"You have so little faith in me…"

"Well, no offense, Nate," Latoya said. "I just don't see you throwing down on a plate of ribs. Aw shit…" she said with a worried look on her face as she stared ahead.

"What?" Katrina said looking behind her and she saw what Latoya saw. It was a group of people headed towards them and they didn't look happy. She wished she could just run away, but she knew that she would be a coward for that and her mother didn't raise a coward and the strong influence from her grandmother made sure she didn't ever become one.

"You got a lot of nerve showin' up after what your daddy did." said a woman she later learned was her aunt, Jackie. She never forgave Donna for running off with that man, she often called him because she refused to acknowledge him as her sister's husband because that would make him family.

"Come on, now…" Latoya said as she rolled her eyes. "It wasn't her fault."

"Yes, Latoya is right. If I had known how any of you felt, I would have been here a long time ago, but, for some stupid reason, my father didn't want me to get to know you and I apologize for him. I'm so sorry."

"My mama may be a forgivin' woman, but I ain't. And, Latoya, my brother feel the same damn way and I think he won't appreciate his daughter stickin' up for this girl. You know your mama should be ashamed of herself for not coming down here to see her family. What? We ain't good enough for her no mo? I hope you enjoyed watchin' broke ass kinfolk in the stupid South…should be entertaining for white boy here." she said and Nate squeezed Katrina's hand tighter. It was so unfair to persecute her like that. Of course, her family members had nothing on what Blair or Chuck could do. If it wasn't for those two, he wouldn't be in this uncomfortable situation. But, if it wasn't for them, he wouldn't be have Katrina as his girlfriend, so he was torn.

"That's not it. She wanted to come and visit all of you, but her job is so demanding and, like I said, my father had a lot to do with it. I feel so embarrassed that he kept my mother from her family, but I'm here now even if she wasn't able to be here. Please, don't let the actions of my father speak for me. I'm here and I want to be. Grandmother Lucille is the most kind woman I've met in my life and she opened her heart to me. And Latoya saw past all the anger and welcomed me. Please, accept my apology."

"I don't want ya damn sorry ass apology!

"Jackie!" Lucille said with full authority and Katrina felt relieved that her grandmother came to her rescue. "Girl, you know I didn't raise you to act like that. Now, be nice to your niece because she is family and we love each other."

"Mama…you know this ain't right. How can you just forgive Donna like that? She abandoned you and me and Roger and Kenneth. You always played favorites with her."

"You know I didn't do that. I love y'all just the same. Ain't none of y'all was loved more than the other one. I just know that Katrina had nothin' to do with how her father was. Yes, I want Donna to visit more often, but if she's busy, then that's somethin' we gonna get over. Now, accept her apology so we can eat…"

"Fine…I accept your apology…" Jackie said and Katrina nodded.

"Okay, now that that's settled…who want some of my famous lemon cake?" Lucille asked and several people shouted praise for the cake and began moving to the food table.

An hour later, Katrina was talking to so many family members that it was hard to keep them straight. She wished that it hadn't gotten off to a rocky start, but she was enjoying herself as she knew that she would definitely return next summer and , hopefully, on good terms. Maybe her mother could be there with her, and she could try to persuade her father to come along. She was just glad to have her grandmother and Latoya there…and Nate. He was being such a trooper for putting up with the constant stares and disapproving looks they were giving him. He was even brave enough to eat food she knew completely repulsed him, and she found it a little amusing. She, however, had rather liked it and had adapted to it. It wasn't sushi or a truffle-filled grilled cheese sandwich, but it was food and it was cooked with love.

"Katrina, I like you, but…I can't do this…" he said pushing around a pile of greens with his fork poking at the piece of pork in it. He grimaced as he lifted the fork up to his mouth.

"You don't have to eat it. I'm pretty sure you've tested your limit with the barbecue. God, could you imagine the headline on Gossip Girl. 'Nate Archibald seen with Party Girl at Georgia cookout eating ribs.'" she said laughing.

"Yeah…" he said hoping that she didn't know about how much he really hoped that Chuck didn't go to Gossip Girl with the news that he was in Georgia because of her. Not that he was ashamed of Katrina, it was just…well, he wanted to keep their relationship a secret to protect what they were developing. He wanted to savor it because he had the opportunity without Chuck or Blair or Gossip Girl there to stop them.


	7. Chapter 7

Katrina and Nate had left the cookout early with Latoya when she had to leave for work. They were walking up the driveway when they noticed a large box sitting in front of the house, and Nate knew it was his clothes. He had called his mother, when he knew that Katrina was asleep, and told her to send enough of his stuff to last him at least two weeks. He was planning on returning to New York with Katrina, so he had to act fast. He knew that it was time to let Katrina know about his plan to help her get revenge.

"I guess your stuff came down." Katrina said as he lifted up the box and brought it inside.

"Yeah…I'll just put this in my room." he said as he carried it to the guest room. He opened it and his belongings was inside as well as a note from Chuck. He nearly wanted to punch a hole through the wall, but he let it go so he didn't show Katrina that he was upset. He slowly, pulled the note out of the box and read it.

_Nathaniel,_

_Your lovely mother was nice enough to let me pack your clothes for you and I wanted to let you know that I still think you are making a big mistake, but I found that dirt you wanted on Jason. Call me later for more details and I hope that lush is worth it._

_Chuck Bass_

After reading the note, he stuffed it into his pants pocket and walked into Katrina's room with the intention of telling her everything, but he couldn't once he saw her undressing. Her body was turned to the side and he took in her perfect profile. She looked stunning in her purple, lace bra and panty set…it was the kind of lingerie that showed off her curves and emphasized her luscious ass. Her wonderful brown skin glowed in the light of the sun just like the day he had kissed her. He knew that the heat outside couldn't compare to he amount of heat he felt as he stared at her. She was beautiful.

She gasped as she finally spotted him staring at her with such an intense lustful look. Normally, she would have yelled at him to get out of her room, but she wanted him. She had wanted him ever since he kissed her the day he walked back into her life. She could see that he really wanted her as much as she wanted him, and she decided that today was the day that they would get exactly what they wanted.

"Do you see something you like, Nate?" she said as she walked towards him and he answered her question with a kiss. He wrapped his arm around her and loved the feel of her soft skin. Her lips were soft and she tasted like cherries. He slipped one hand from the small of her back and moved it to her bountiful ass and she pulled back from the kiss and gave him a look.

"What?" he said trying to search her face for any sign of resistance and he hoped she didn't want to stop because he was way too hard to just stop this. She just looked down at his hand on her ass and looked back at him and laughed.

"I never would have figured you to be an ass man." she said nodding towards his hand on her ass an back up into his beautiful blue eyes.

"It's only a recent thing." he said smirking as he guided her to the bed and laid her down. "Let's just say that you've inspired me to appreciate flesh rather than bones."

"Oh, really…well, you've inspired me to adore a nice toned chest." she said as she unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands on his chest.

"I think I might become an addict…" he said as he kissed her neck.

"Addicted to my big bubble butt?" she said in disbelief at she rolled them over and straddled him. She loved the way he was staring up at her.

"Of course…It's soft," he said as he caressed the exposed flesh of her ass peaking out of her panties. "It's very…meaty," he said as he squeezed it and she moaned. "and it leads to the most amazing pair of legs I've ever seen." he said as he moved his hand to her thighs and caressed them. She moaned, and he loved the way her lips parted.

"I thought white guys were breast men…" she said grinning as she grabbed his hands and placed it on her breast and he cupped them in his hand through her lace bra.

"Oh, we are…I've just become a fan of…big bubble butts because of you." he said with that impossibly cute boyish smile that drove her crazy and she leaned down to kiss him. He moaned when she licked his neck and trailed her tongue to his chest. She flicked her tongue on one nipple and he moaned ever louder. She rose back up and undid his belt and unzipped his jeans when she noticed that the note in his pocket had fallen out and landed on the floor. She would have ignored it, normally, but she recognized the stationary and it belonged to the Bass family. Nate noticed her sudden change in mood and followed her gaze and saw the note.

"Katrina…I…" he said hopelessly. He didn't know what he would say to her.

"What the hell is this, Nate?!" she said as she picked up the note and opened it before he could stop her. He felt like his stomach dropped when he saw her reading Chuck's note.

"Why are you getting letters from this asshole?! And why do you need dirt on Jason?! Why are you really here?!"

"Look, I came here because I wanted to be with you, but…there's a part of me that just can't forgive Jason for what he did to you."

"I didn't want to involve Chuck in this. Besides, I was just angry. I don't really want revenge. I know Jason is jerk, but I want to forget it. If anything, I would like to have revenge on that bastard, Chuck. In fact, him, Blair, Serena, and that fucking Gossip Girl would be nice."

"I know that it's their fault, but it wouldn't have even started if Jason hadn't used you to get to Chuck. He used your bad reputation to his advantaged and no one believed you."

"Well, that's their problem. Besides, you heard what he said, it didn't matter who the girl was. They just needed a passed out girl and I happen to be the first one. What would you have done if it wasn't me? Would be coming to some other poor girl's rescue and try to help her get revenge on Jason Cromwell? That's ridiculous, Nate."

"You're right, but it wasn't just some random girl. It was you and I care about you."

"Do you care about me enough to tell Chuck to stay out of this?"

"I tried…he called yesterday and…shit…" he said as he realized that he told her what he didn't want her to know.

"You lied to me?! You were really talking to that asshole Chuck?! Get out!" she said as she threw the note in his face and pointed to door

"Katrina…" he said pleading with her to listen to him.

"Get the hell out!" she said hoping that she wasn't crying, but she had felt so hurt and she was pissed off that he would lie to her. He knew how much she hated Chuck, and even though she knew that he didn't rape her, she was still pissed for what happened to her afterwards. Nate left and she slammed the door shut. She wanted to kill someone at that moment.


	8. Chapter 8

Nate woke up the next day feeling horrible about Katrina knowing about the note. He was hoping to explain himself that night, but she gave him the cold shoulder and ignored him. Although he knew that he did deserve it a little, he still wanted a chance to apologize to her. He loved her, and despite what Chuck thought, Katrina was worth it.

He finally got out of bed and was going into the kitchen when he heard Katrina talking to her grandmother about him and why she was so upset with him last night.

"Now, baby, I'm just trying to understand why the other night, you and Nate couldn't take your eyes off each other and last night he was your enemy. I thought you liked him."

"Grandma, I do like him. I'm just so mad that he would go behind my back and betray me. See, the reason I came here to Georgia is embarrassing and the real reason Nate's here is ever worse. Back in New York, I had a reputation for being a party girl. I was staying out late in bars and clubs…don't ask me how I could even get in when I'm not even legal. Anyway, I was a drunk, and one night at a party, I was so drunk I passed out. I woke up in bed with this guy, Chuck. He was the boyfriend of Blair, the girl who threw the party, and he's Nate's best friend."

"Katrina…" her grandmother said in a sympathetic tone.

"That's not even the worse part. A few days later, there was a video that came out and in it…I appeared that I had sex with Chuck. I accused him of rape, and no one believed me. It was seemed so real. I thought it was me. Then, a bunch of rumors and accusations sent to this blog/gossip thing ruined me. Most of them were sent by Chuck, Blair, Serena…Anyway, I nearly had a breakdown and my parents, really mom, thought it was a good idea to be here with you."

"So, why is Nate here?"

"He came down here to show me the video. The real one. See, the first video was a fake one and the real video showed that it was all just a part of some sick plan of one of Chuck's enemies. I wasn't really raped, and this guy, Jason, hired actors and edited the video to make it look like I slept with Chuck. I really thought I was raped, and when Nate believed everyone else over me…I was hurt. Why is Nate here? I don't really know nor do I care."

"Katrina," Nate said as he came around the corner looking at her and she frowned. He had to admit that even when she frowned, she was still beautiful. "I'm here to undo what was done. I'm sorry if I chose to believe Chuck over you, and I'm sorry that I doubted you. No matter what your reputation was, I should've believed you, and I'm sorry that I didn't."

"You should be sorry." she said coldly and Nate knew that it was going to be harder to win her over again.

"I deserved that." he said knowing that if she thought he was defeated, she would be a little nicer and she would listen him.

"You have no idea of exactly what you deserve…" she said and Lucille gave her a look.

"Katrina, you could at least forgive the boy. He apologized to you."

"Grandma, he hurt me. We had years of friendship, and he threw that away for some fake bond with Chuck. Nate, we had years over the short time you knew Chuck and you were a coward and stuck by him." she said as Lucille went into the kitchen to give with privacy. "If that wasn't bad enough, you lie to me about talking to Chuck the other day, and then I read that stupid note. Was making me your girlfriend a part of your sadistic plan to get revenge on Jason?"

"No. Katrina, I care about you so much. I'm sorry that I didn't believe you, but I don't know how many times I'm going to keep apologizing when you won't even listen to me."

"Then, stop apologizing! You think you can just say, 'I'm sorry' and that will be done and all things forgiven. You're wrong. Chuck and Blair will never stop, and I just don't want to deal with that drama. You may feel comfortable with that backstabbing stuff, but I'm done. All I want to do is forget the girl I used to be, and start over."

"You can start over, Katrina. I'll be there for you, and I'll deal with Chuck and Blair." he said as he went to hug, but she moved. "Katrina…" he said as he attempted to touch her again.

"Don't…" she said pushing him away, and Lucille just looked on, shook her head, and sighed at how stubborn her granddaughter was. She swore she would have a talk with Donna's husband. "Nate, this isn't going to work. As much as I like you, I just can't be with you. Like I said before, you would be so much better off with Vanessa."

"I don't want Vanessa. I want you, and I'm not leaving here until you agree to come with me. You can't be the girl who ran, and I won't let you be that girl."

"Be real, Nate. You live your entire life based on what people think of you. Now, tell me. Do you really want to be known as that guy with the 'party girl'?" she said as Nate stayed silent and she chuckled darkly. "Didn't think so…"

"So, what now?"

"I don't know. Are you done being the guy that dragged 'party girl' from the South?"

"No. You know, I just wish you would stop labeling yourself. I think all that hate you hold for Blair and Chuck is just a cover for the hate you have for yourself."

"That's ridiculous. I mean, listen to yourself. Wannabe psychiatrist…what about you? You slept with a woman for money, you had a crush on Jenny Humphrey, you…"

"Always bringing up the past. Yeah, that's smart. Get over yourself, Katrina!"

"Fuck you, Nate! You act as if I gave myself that label. I didn't want to be known as a party girl. I didn't want to be seen as some kind of mess. Yeah, I got out of control, but I started partying because that's what I thought you liked. You slept with Serena, and I figured maybe…"

"I've told you this a million times. I like you the way you are…or at least the way you were and still is when you're just being yourself."

"What about Vanessa? She was perfect…"

"Vanessa has her dark side…we all do. Besides, she doesn't have your attitude I love so much or your sarcasm or…"

"I get it. So, you really want me to go back to New York with you?"

"Of course I want you to come back with me!"

"So, what's the dirt you have on Jason?"

"I thought you didn't want revenge on him…"

"I changed my mind, and I thought that maybe we could get Chuck as well…just to teach him a lesson. Okay, I'll be nice, but if he does anything…"

"You have my full permission to destroy him."

"Okay, Nate, I'll go back with you. So, about that dirt on Jason…"

"Well, there's a rumor that he isn't who he really say he is. It's been said that his father killed a guy in Australia and stole his identity. Now, this was before Jason was born and before his father even met his mother. But, it would destroy his entire world if this gets out."

"Are you serious?" she said with a gleeful, twisted grin. She so wanted to believe that she was above getting revenge, but what he did to her was so unforgivable, she would still want revenge years down the line. Maybe, she could ruin Chuck and Blair, although she would have to hide that from Nate. The old Katrina was back…well, sort of.


	9. Chapter 9

Katrina was a little sad about her decision to leave Georgia, and she cried when she told her grandmother that she was going back to New York. She was staying there another week, then she was going back to New York. She didn't want to leave, but she couldn't stay either. She knew she would visit her grandmother more often than she did in the past, and she would try to get her mother to come along with her. She didn't know how long it's been since her mother seen her family, but Katrina knew it was time.

Now, that she knew a juicy secret about Jason, she knew she would have to find a way to destroy him. She hated that she was starting to act like her old self, but she knew she wasn't as bad as Blair or Serena. She hoped that Nate didn't hate her for returning to being a scheming plotting bitch. She did want to change, and maybe this could be her final evil act before she turned her life around. Besides, one final revenge is better than trying to get revenge, constantly.

There was also her relationship with Nate she had to worry about. She didn't know if he was pretending to love her because of their revenge plan. She swore to herself that she would kill him if he was fucking with her heart, because she really loved him, and she had loved him for a long time. This was something she had been wanting ever since they were kids…Yeah, her crush went all the way back.

"Katrina," Nate said as he sat at the table eating breakfast. He was becoming more open to real Southern cooking and she could've sworn he was actually enjoying it a lot. Maybe, she could get him to eat the greens next time. "Where was Latoya taking us tonight?"

"I forgot the name of the place, but I've been there before. It's the place to hear Spoken Word. I can't wait, I love Spoken Word poetry." she said as she sat across from him at the table.

"Really? I didn't know that." he said as he realized that he knew very little about Katrina.

"Yeah, that's a little something people don't know about me. I pretty much hide most of my personal information about me when traveling in such untrustworthy circles."

"Well, of course, you're going to let me in on your secrets."

"Maybe…" she said with a sly smirk. She knew a part of him was burning up because she wouldn't let him into her mind. She needed to protect herself and her heart if she found out he was playing her. "Speaking of secrets, what are we going to do about Jason? I mean, just saying that Jason's father killed a man isn't going to do much damage if Jason' didn't know about it."

"That's going to be a problem, no doubt, but I made sure Chuck was getting more info."

"Oh, him." she said rolling her eyes and frowning.

"I know you hate him, Katrina, but he could help us. He is loyal to me despite what you think about him. I know he wouldn't turn against me." he said and Katrina looked at him as if he was crazy. "Sorry…wrong choice of words." he said realizing that she was still angry with him for his very own betrayal against her.

"Yeah, very wrong. Anyway, what is Chuck trying to find out?"

"He's got some kind of angle. He thinks that Jason's father killed the real David Cromwell and took his identity because David was an orphan. When he came to the U.S., it was discovered that he was here on some sort of scholarship, yet he didn't have any I.D. on him at all. He claims he was robbed at the airport and they took everything. Apparently, officials checked with the school and they confirmed his acceptance and the scholarship. This was all before photo identification was required so…"

"He got away with it." Katrina said finishing his thought. "How will this affect Jason?"

"Chuck has a theory that Jason does, in fact, know about the crime his father committed because there is a rumor that the real David Cromwell had a half-sibling. His father had a child with an Maori woman in New Zealand and never claimed the kid. This was a couple of year's before Jason was born, so the heir is around our age. Anyway, we think that the kid came to claim the Cromwell fortune and, suddenly, disappeared." he said with a smug, satisfied look on his face. He knew she hated Chuck, but he knew she couldn't deny his handy snooping skills. He swore if Chuck wasn't so fucking rich, he would have been a detective.

"Wow. Do you really think he killed the kid?"

"Probably, Either way, Jason is screwed because he knows or he killed the kid himself."

"Nice work, Nate…and I supposed I should congratulate Chuck also for finding out a lot of helpful information." she said reluctantly.

"He's not as bad as you think, Katrina."

"Bullshit. Not everyone sees Chuck through your eyes and maybe you should see him through ours. I swear, I see his horns sticking out of his dark hair every now and then."

"Okay, I'll give you that one. He can be a little evil, but I still think I have some good influence over him." he said not even believing his own bullshit.

"It's the other way around. I mean, I don't remember you ever being this hell-bent on getting revenge. You were always such a nice guy. I mean, you would always share your toys when I just hogged mine." she said laughing.

"True. But, things change. We've both changed and I don't think we could ever get back to the way we were. Damn peer pressure…" he said with a chuckle as Katrina leaned over the table and kissed him.

"That's not true, Nate." she said with a serious look on her face and he knew that she still believed he was a good person. Even after his devastating betrayal, she still thought he was a good person, and he just felt even lower than before knowing that it wasn't true.

"I betrayed you. I know and you know that is something you'll never get over. I don't think I'll get over it. I didn't realize I hurt you so much. I just didn't want to believe someone I trusted could hurt someone I cared about more than anything."

"Well, you need to get over it. Look, I know I'm hard on you and, I admit, I'm still pissed at you, but you can't let that stop us from having this relationship."

"I know, but…"

"Don't argue with me, Nate. Now, I know you're used to getting your way, but it's time to swallow your pride and let this flow. Man up."

"Man up?! Wow, I can't argue with that. When did you get so dominating?" he said with a sexy smirk as he leaned forward looking into her eyes. He really hoped that they would pick up where they left off the last time, and, hopefully, a note from Chuck wouldn't ruin it.

"Around the same time you started becoming so submissive…" she said as she mimicked his smirk and, unknowingly, his thoughts.

"I can assure you that I'm not submissive…" he was saying but Katrina's phone rang.

"Hold that thought." she said as she ran to her room and found her cell. She answered it and. "Hello, Latoya. What's up? We didn't forget about tonight. Grandma said she was going to bingo night with some friends. Okay. See you tonight. I don't think he'll be uncomfortable. I'm not asking him that. Okay, goodbye." she said as she returned to the table.

"What was that about? What weren't you going to ask me?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it." she said smiling a teasing smile before kissing him.


	10. Chapter 10

Nate felt a little bit more comfortable in the little coffee shop Latoya took them. It reminded him of the coffee shop/gallery Vanessa worked in because it featured some art as well. He looked at the crowd and saw that it was diverse, though, predominately African American, still it was fairly even. The sound of soul, hip-hop, funk, music blasted from the mix of a live band and DJ. Katrina and Latoya were nodding their heads to the melodic, hypnotic rhythm.

"So, Nate," Katrina said as she looked at him with eager eyes. "What do you think?"

"I like it. It's got a nice vibe to it. It's very relaxed."

"I know. This place reminds me of the places I used to hit up in New York. I'm so glad that Gossip Girl wasn't in every New York nook and cranny. I wouldn't have been able to do my poetry loving thing on the low without everyone knowing my whereabouts."

"Girl…" Latoya said rolling her eyes. Nate figured that she had come clean with her cousin about the situation as she did with her grandmother. "I don't know how you live with all that shit. I don't think I could keep from beating some ass. Shit, I'd be in jail…"

"I know, it's hard being so…polished. You know hanging with you unleashed the ghetto that my dad has been suppressing ever since I was born." she said laughing and Latoya laughed.

"Uh, Nate, you might want to keep her away from those back-stabbing muthafuckas for a while. She might turn ghetto and whoop some rich asses." Latoya said as they all laughed. "So, what you gonna do 'bout that Jason dude? You want me to get somebody on that. I know a bunch of dudes that would fuck his ass up."

"Oh, no thank you. We got that covered." Katrina said as she held Nate's hand and stared into his eyes. There was nothing better than that moment and she was hoping that it didn't end because if it did, then she would have to go to New York and face all the shit she ran away from.

Suddenly, the music volume was turned down and they knew the slam was about to begin. The show started with a few featured local poets and would end with open mic. Most of the poems dealt with various themes. Many of them about love, but the ones that didn't relate to love left Katrina and Nate guilty. They grew up in a life of privilege and they knew that would never fully fit in the way Latoya did. They were from different worlds, but Nate admired Katrina for trying to change. As far as he was concerned that made her closer to being a more real person than he was. She was closer to being able to understand the words and feelings of the poets.

It was intermission and they had refilled their mugs with coffee and took their seats at their table. Some people started to dance and groove to the music as the volume was up. Katrina was nodding her head to the beat and Nate did the same. He was sure he looked silly, but he saw that neither Katrina nor Latoya were laughing at him so he figured that he didn't look too silly.

"Ay yo, Night Train!" Latoya yelled to one of the featured poets. He was a tall, muscular, brown skinned guy with dreads wearing a black fedora hat and casual clothes.

"What it do, L?" he said as he hugged Latoya. "Sup, Katrina." he said nodding in her direction. He didn't seem like he was interested in her, but a guy could never be too careful.

"Hey, Night Train. This is my boyfriend, Nate." she said as she smiled and saw that Nate had relaxed once she introduced him as her boyfriend.

"Sup, Nate. My name is Shawn aka Night Train." he said in a smooth tone that reminded him of the one rapper he knew, Mos Def. He also detected a New York accent too.

"Nice to meet you. You were great up there."

"Thanks, you diggin' the vibe?"

"I like it. It's a nice place and it just seems full of good energy."

"Yeah, it reminds me of some spots in New York."

"You're from New York?"

"Yeah, I from Harlem. I came down here for a change in scenery and I love it. It's a slower pace, but sometimes that ain't a bad thing, ya know?"

"Yeah…" Nate said as he wondered if he was ready for a slower pace. From what he could see, Katrina was ready for a slower pace. She had survived being in Atlanta for nearly a month before he showed up.

"So, Katrina," Shawn said as he looked at her. "You gonna get up there for open mic?"

"Ooh, girl…" Latoya said a little too loud for Katrina because she was right beside her ear. "You should go up there. You know you wanna go up there. Your poetry is good."

"You write poetry?" Nate asked and Katrina smiled.

"Yeah…I told you there were a lot of things you didn't know about me. Don't worry, you'll learn a lot more as this relationship grows…" she said smirking as she planted a quick kiss on his lips leaving him speechless. "But to answer you question, Shawn. I don't know. I don't really have anything prepared."

"That's okay. You can improv, can you?" Shawn asked and Katrina looked over at Nate and suddenly became inspired.

"Yeah, I think I can do that."

"That's what's up…just sign your name on the sheet and you'll be called up there." he said as she went to sign her name and Nate was interested in the poem Katrina was going to recite. He wished he could be a deep as she was. Maybe, this was something that was hidden underneath the party girl mask or maybe she had developed it from her time in Georgia, but either way, she was a better person than he was.

The time came for Katrina to be on stage and she looked nervous as she approached the microphone. Nate just thought she looked beautiful and angelic wearing a white sun dress.

"Hey, I'm Katrina…I know that's not exactly the name to have now, Louisiana forgive me. I'm sorry, I'm quite nervous." she was interrupted by people saying that it was alright and she shouldn't be nervous. "Thanks. I didn't really have anything prepared so, I'm just going to improv." she said as she stared at Nate as she recited her made up poem.

_"Blind, was I_

_Trapped in a world_

_Of hate and lies, so dark_

_You were the light_

_So bright, I squinted_

_And tried to deny you_

_But you're much too bright_

_You bathed me in your light_

_I resisted, at first_

_But, eventually, I surrendered_

_And relished in your warmth_

_Thank you"_

She left the stage and walked to the table and Nate took her into a kiss. When she broke the kiss she looked into his eyes and realized that she wanted him more that night than anything and she knew it was time to leave. That was the night they were going to get what they wanted.


	11. Chapter 11

When they returned to Katrina's grandmother's house, they noticed that she was still gone. Katrina felt as if she was going to explode if Nate didn't touch her at the moment.

"So…" Nate said trying to figure out how to get through the awkward silence. Normally, he wasn't so nervous when it came to sex, but after hearing that poem, he didn't want just lust-filled sex. He wanted to make love to Katrina. "That was fun."

"Yeah…I think I'm going to miss it, but we have a lot of chances to got to some spots in New York." she said wishing that Nate would make a move.

"Of course…I mean, you're going to have to show me…" he said but was interrupted as Katrina grabbed his face and pulled Nate into a kiss and led them to her bedroom. She pushed him onto her bed and stood up in front of him. She slipped the straps of her dress down her shoulders and Nate stood up and stopped her. She looked confused, but it faded when he kissed her shoulders as he slipped the straps down her arm. She was unbuttoning his shirt as he kissed her neck. His skin felt hot to her, and he was slightly sweaty from the humid night air. She pushed him back onto the bed and went to her stereo and turned on some music as he undressed. She was dancing to the sexy rhythm of Jeremiah's "Birthday Sex".

"You look so beautiful, Katrina…" he said staring at the way her body moved to the music and it was making him harder every second she danced. "Come here." he said as he reached for her and she pushed him back onto the bed. She noticed that he was only in his black boxer-briefs. His skin glowed as hers did in the heat of the room. She crawled on the bed with him and kissed him as he pulled her dress over her head. She wasn't wearing a bra, but she did wear white panties. She kissed him and trailed her kiss down his body to the band of his black underwear. Nate, suddenly, had a feeling of déjà vu and he hoped that they wouldn't be disturbed by some note from Chuck this time.

"I want you…" Katrina trailed off as she grazed her hand over his erection before pulling out his rock hard cock. He moaned when she began stroking him before keeping her hands at the base of his cock. She looked into his blue eyes before she lowered her head to the head of his cock and flicked her tongue around it before taking the engorged organ into her waiting mouth. Nate moaned as she sucked up and down his shaft working her hands in time with her mouth.

"Katrina…" he groaned out as she sped up the pace of her mouth and hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that he was gripping the sheets. "Oh, I'm coming…" he said as rolled his head back, his eyes doing the same. He tried to pull away from her, but she stopped him and continued sucking his cock. "Fuck…" he gasped out as he came and she felt the warm liquid hit the back of her throat as she forced his cock deep into her mouth. She pulled back with some of his semen dribbling down her chin, but she wiped that bit off and swallowed the rest.

Nate laid her down and began kissing her moving his kiss down to her breasts. He took the chocolate orbs into his mouth before trailing his tongue down to the band of her panties. He moved to her thighs and kissed her inner thigh as he pulled off her panties. He kissed the lips of her wet pussy before darting his tongue out to taste her focusing in on her clit which made her hips buck. He worked his tongue faster on her clit moving it in circles.

"Mmm…that feels so good…Don't stop…" she moaned out as he gripped onto her hips holding her down as he swirled his tongue around her pussy. She was starting to shake and Nate knew that she was coming. He worked his tongue faster until she came and he lapped up her juices. "Shit…" was all she could say as he kissed his way back up her body to her lips.

Suddenly, Nate crawled on top of her and kissed her as he entered her. They both moaned at the feeling as he started to thrust in and out of her in a steady rhythm. She gripped onto his back encouraging him to go faster and he did. They stared into each others eyes. Katrina felt all the anger she was holding onto melt away as soon as she stared deep into his blue eyes. There was so much passion and lust and love that she couldn't stay mad at him. She knew he was truly sorry, and she forgave him as she knew she felt all the things reflected in his eyes.

"You're beautiful…" Nate said and Katrina laughed ruining the moment and he started laughing. "What? What did I say that was so funny?"

"I'm sorry…" she said as she laughed, hysterically. She kept laughing until she was able to calm down. "Oh, man…that was cheesy."

"Come on…cut me some slack here."

"You just sounded like a romance novel. Right now I feel like you should be wearing a silk white shirt and wind blowing through your hair…"she said as she blew a puff of air in hair.

"Fine…then, what should I say?"

"I don't know…be a little bit more…real."

"Oh. What about this? Blind, was I…"

"Shut up. You can't rip off my poem. It's copyrighted."

"Says who?" he said as he kissed her neck and she let out a soft moan.

"I said so…" she trailed off as Nate moved his kiss lower to her breasts. He took one nipple into his mouth and tease the hardening bud with his teeth. She moaned and arched her back pressing her body closer to his.

"Yeah? Then sue me." he said as he began thrusting in and out of her slowly building up to the faster rhythm they had before Katrina started laughing.

"Maybe, I will…" she groaned out. She gripped onto his back as he sped up and she moaned louder as she rested her head on his shoulder. He was turned on more and more by the sound of her moans. "Nate…I…I…" she trailed off unable to speak.

"Say it." he said as he began to thrust deeper causing her to moan even louder.

"I…love you…"

"I love you…too." he said as he reached in between them and rubbed her clit.

"I'm gonna…mmm…Nate!" she shouted as she came clamping down on his cock sending him over the edge. She shook against him, and her lips would have been trembling if Nate hadn't taken her into a passionate kiss as he pulled out of her. He rolled off of her and held her close to him. His skin was slick with sweat, his hair wet, he was exhausted and drained, but he knew he would do it all over again if it meant being with Katrina Sinclair.

"Katina? Are you okay?"

"I'm better than okay." she said smiling then she frowned and slapped his shoulder. "What took you so long to make a move?"

"First of all, ow. Second, I…I was…nervous. Don't laugh." he said as he saw she was starting to laugh. "I didn't want this to seem like some lay. I wanted to make love to you."

"Well, it definitely wasn't just some lay. It was amazing. You were amazing."

"I know." he said with a smug smile and she hit him. "You know, I was kidding, right?"

"Get out…" she said laughing and as she pointed to the door.

"I think I like when you're saying that instead of yelling it." he said as she kissed her before he left her room. Katrina laid in her bed thinking about the amazing sex she had with Nate before she drifted off to sleep. The last great thing to happen before she was back in New York.


	12. Chapter 12

Katrina sat at the airport with Nate, her grandmother, and her cousin. She had spent the rest of her time in Georgia with her grandmother and cousin most of the time. Not that she wanted to leave Nate alone in her grandmother's house, but he insisted that she would spend as much time with her relatives. He figured that they would have more than enough time to spend together in New York. She, however, wasn't so sure. She knew that once they were in New York, they would be different people than they were in Georgia. To her, Nate seemed more open and free. He wasn't concerned with what everyone else thought about him, and she loved that.

"Katrina, baby," Lucille said as she gripped both her hands. "I'm gonna miss you so much. I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself now that you're leaving."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. It's me you have to worry about. Grandma, I don't know if I can do this. I left those people behind because they were poisonous to me."

"You're gonna be alright, baby. Your mama will be there for you, and you can always call me if you wanna talk and you can't tell your mama."

"Ay, you can call me, too, Cuz." Latoya said as she leaned her head on Katrina's shoulders. Nate felt like an awkward outsider, but he was touched by the truly amazing family moment. He wished that he had those moments with his dad…where ever he was.

"I know…I might need you to come and give me back some of my clothes." Katrina said referring to the clothes she gave her cousin as a gift for being absent all those years. She knew designer clothes wouldn't make up for that, but that wasn't her fault and she thought it would make her favorite cousin happy.

"Please, girl…you ain't never gettin' those clothes back. Oh yeah, Night Train told me to tell you that he'll look you two up if he ever back in New York. Don't know…maybe I'll be up there wit him. But, I'ma miss you until then…"

"Oh, I'll try to come down more often. And I will try to tear my mother way from her job long enough to stay here for a proper visit. I'm not sure about my father, but you guys never like him much anyway." Katrina said laughing as Lucille rolled her eyes and all threes women laughed.

"So, Nate," Lucille said as she turned to Katrina's boyfriend. She admired him ever since the day she saw him because she knew that it had to take real courage to risk coming to a place for a girl that hated his guts. "What's this nonsense I hear about getting back at that Jason kid?"

"Well…uh…See, it's complicated, but that's how things operate in the crowds we travel in. Stupid and petty, yes, but that's what we know."

"I understand that it's how things are done where you two come from. I can't even imagine what it's like to be rich and all that, but keep in mind that I don't want Katrina slipping back into her old ways. Now, I know this sounds like I'm being some mean ole lady, but I know how much you care about Katrina…we all love her. Don't let her lose herself like that again. Be her anchor, if you have to. Make sure she stays the good person I know she is."

"I will, Mrs. Johnson, and thank you for opening up your home to me."

"You're welcome, Nate. Katrina," she said as she looked at her granddaughter with loving eyes. "I really hope you get whatever revenge you must do to set things right, but promise me that you won't lose yourself. I don't think I could take it if you came to stay one more summer because I don't think I can let you go a second time." Lucille joked as they laughed.

"I promise, grandma." she said as she hugged her and Latoya hugged them as well.

"Don't just stand there, Nate…" Lucille said as she extended her arms to him and he joined in on the group hug. Suddenly, Nate and Katrina heard that their plane was boarding and Katrina started to cry. She hated that she was leaving such a comfortable life without drama, and she would miss her family, but she knew she couldn't stay there. It was time to face the music and take care of all the shit she left behind. She wasn't running anymore. She hugged her grandmother and cousin for a last time before she said a tearful goodbye before she went to the gate. She took Nate's hand and they walked together. Katrina waved goodbye to them telling them that she loved them.

On the plane, Katrina sat next to Nate holding his hand as she stared out of the window. She was going miss Atlanta, Georgia very much, but New York was her home.

"Katrina…I'm sorry for making you leave like this. I know how much you cared about your grandmother and your cousin." Nate said feeling a little guilty about doing this to her.

"No, it's okay. I wanted to leave. It was time for me to leave. Besides, I have to get a head start on our revenge plan. Jason Cromwell is going down. Now, if only I can take care of Chuck and Blair…I know, I know…you don't want me to do a thing to them, but it's hard for me to forgive them for the hell they put me through."

"I know, but…Chuck is my friend and I know you hate him, but…he's my friend."

"Yeah…does that mean I have to be nice to him?" Katrina said cringing at the thought of having to nice to Chuck Bass while she wanted to rip his head off.

"Well, you don't have to be the very best of friends, but you two could be a little nicer to each other. Since we're all in this plan to take Jason down."

"Who said that he was in on this?!" she said getting a little angry.

"Well, he did provide the information about Jason…"

"Fine, he's in. But, that bitch, Blair, isn't. She's just some spoiled brat and you know she's not going to let it go that I accused Chuck of rape. So, how do I handle her?"

"I'll handle her. I just have to talk Serena. Maybe she would talk some sense into Blair."

"Hmm…" Katrina scoffed. "Serena. Please, she doesn't give a shit about me."

"Are you still going on about that feud between you two? You two used to be friends."

"Correction. Our mothers were friends. We never were. I couldn't stand her."

"Okay, fine, you weren't friends. But you weren't enemies, either." he said and Katrina scoffed again. If only Nate knew how bad their feud had gotten and the reason for it. Him. "So, back to Jason…how do you want to handle it?"

"Hmm…I think we should try to find that missing Cromwell heir. I think if we get the kid to confess and prove that he was the real Cromwell heir, publicly, Jason and his family would be done. The kid might actually be dead if Jason's father or Jason himself kill him or her. If so, we still expose the Cromwell family's dirty secret." Katrina said knowing that she sounded cold and calculating, but that was the world she was returning to, so she knew she would have to drop the whole nice, down-to-earth thing if she was going to pull this off.

"Okay, that's good. I'm pretty sure Chuck would love to hear this."

"God, I hate involving him, but he's your friend and, as your girlfriend, I guess I should get to know and like all of your friends." she said reluctantly.

"Aww, it's so nice to know that you're trying." he said as he leaned over and kissed her.

"Don't get too comfortable with that idea…it works both ways. Remember that…" she said smirking before she kissed him again.

"I think I pretty much like all of your friends…if not, I'd like them anyway."

"Okay…I warned you…" she said knowing that he had no idea of the company she kept.


	13. Chapter 13

They had arrived in New York, and Katrina was walking around the airport thinking about how much she would miss her grandmother and her cousin. She would, especially, miss her grandmother. That woman had more love and faith and strength than anyone she had ever known, and spending time with her has made her stronger. She would need her strength because she was about be back in the vicious circle of false friends. She wondered how her grandmother would have handled the situation she was in. Then, she laughed to herself at the thought of her handling her situation the way Latoya would handle it.

"What's so funny, Katrina?" Nate asked smiling that adorable smile she loved so much.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about Latoya and Grandma Lucille. I was just thinking about how they would've handled this. It's hard to leave them after spending most of my summer with them." she said staring straight ahead daydreaming about her Southern summer.

"Yeah, they are amazing. You're really going to miss them, aren't you?" he said and she nodded. Nate knew that she had grown close to her grandmother and cousin, and he hated to tear her away from them, but he knew that she and her mother's family come from different worlds.

"I am, but I think I will see my grandmother everyday when I'm with my mother. I never really realized that they were alike until I spent the summer with her."

"Well, that's a good thing. Because that means that you're going to be just as amazing as your mother and your grandmother."

"Aww…you're getting cheesy again…" she said as she kissed him and when she pulled back, she saw him look behind her with a anxious look on his face. She turned around and saw Chuck Bass standing by his limo smirking as he saw them. She was filled with rage as she glared at him and he just stood there smirking that stupid smirk.

"It looks like he's our ride…" Nate said gravely as he knew that she was not happy.

"Oh, hell no!" she said as they walked towards his limo dragging their bags behind them. Katrina was more than pissed and she swore she would kill Nate if he had anything to do with this. He knew how much she hated Chuck, and he would be the last person she would ever want to see after leaving her little piece of heaven in Georgia.

"Hello, Nathaniel. Katrina. I thought I would greet you two by offering to pick you up as way of making peace and putting that whole thing behind us." he said with a faker than fake pleasant smile that just made Katrina want to vomit.

"Fuck you." Katrina said as she crossed her arms over her chest and she saw Chuck's smile fade into a mixture between a sneer and an amused smirk.

"Excuse me…" Nate said as he pulled her aside and motioned for the driver to put their bags into the trunk. "Katrina…you're going to have to be nicer than this if we're in on this. At least be civil…for me." he said putting on an adorable puppy dog face.

"Okay, fine. You're lucky you're so damn cute." she said as they walked back to Chuck and he was smirking. Nate really didn't know that Chuck was going to be there, but he was sort of glad that he was there. In the excitement of leaving, he had forgotten to tell his driver to be at the airport to pick him up. He was going to take Katrina home, so she didn't call anyone for her.

"Ladies first…" Chuck said as he gestured toward the limo and Katrina glared at him before she climbed in. She could smell his cologne as she passed by him and she almost gagged. Nate climbed in, then Chuck. He closed the door and told the driver to go. "There's some scotch and champagne if you want to help yourself to some."

"No, thank you." Katrina said acidly. "I don't drink anymore."

"Oh, come on. One little drink. I can assure you that I won't take advantage of you."

"Knock it off, Chuck." Nate said as he glared at him. He swore he'd break his face if he didn't leave his girlfriend alone.

"No, Nate…" Katrina said. "We need to address that night. Get it out of the way and be professional about this since we're going to be working to together."

"Yes…let's address that night. I told you I didn't rape you."

"I know that, now. But with your record, it wouldn't be a surprise if you did."

"Well, thank you. I didn't know you cared." he said and Nate rolled his eyes.

"I didn't mean it as a compliment, asshole. If you think I'm going to be nice to you because you didn't actually rape me, you're wrong. I'm still pissed at you for all the rumors you and your bitch of a girlfriend spread and ruined my life, and I'm going to get you for that."

"I'll be looking forward to it." Chuck said as he raised his glass up to her then he down his scotch. "So, how's this little…love affair coming along?" he said gesturing toward them.

"Let's just stick to business." Katrina said in a cold, unflinching tone.

"Okay. To bring you up to speed. Shane is in rehab, Kirk is ever so faithful to Jason, and I scared the living shit out of the golden boy's father by sending him a little note saying that I know what he did. I'm pretty sure that Jason is also scared."

"Shane is in rehab…I guess Jason found out that Shane leaked the original video and Jason made good on his threat and exposed Shane's drug problem."

"Yes, poor guy…" Nate said and Katrina's hard demeanor almost melted at Nate's compassion. She knew that he actually kind of liked Shane. He did help him find her before he went to rehab and she knew that she couldn't be too angry with him since he didn't even want to participate in Jason's plan in the first place.

"Yes, very unfortunate, but back to business." she said knowing she sounded cold but she looked over at Nate hoping that he would know that she was just acting tough in front of Chuck. She really hated to know that people would use Shane being in rehab against him, but she was happy for him. She knew what it was like to get over her drinking problem and partying ways.

"So," Chuck said. "Are you sure you won't have at least one drink to celebrate your return to New York?" he said smirking. He knew that she was lying about not drinking anymore.

"Chuck, I told you that I don't drink anymore. If you insist on being a jerk, you can look forward to that payback a lot sooner."

"Okay. I'm sorry. I might have misjudged you. Nate, perhaps you would like a drink?"

"No, thank you." Nate said knowing that he was tempted, but he didn't want to drink in front of Katrina knowing that she was battling her drinking problem.

"It's okay, Nate…" she said in a small voice. "You can have a drink if you want. In fact, I think I'll just have a glass of champagne." she said and Nate gave her a worried look. "It's alright. I think I can control myself. I think that night has radically transformed me, and I, now, know a lot about discipline. Wouldn't you say so, Mr. Bass?"

"I believe it has, Ms. Sinclair." he said as he handed her a glass of champagne and handed one to Nate. He poured himself a glass and raised it up. "To destroying Jason Cromwell."

"Here, here…" Katrina and Nate said before they drank from their glasses. Nate eyed Katrina cautiously because he had promised her grandmother that he wouldn't let her lose control again.. She didn't tell him, but she never stopped drinking…she just never did it as much as she used to. She only hoped that being back would not force her to be like her old self.


	14. Chapter 14

Katrina was greeted by her English housekeeper, Martha, when they pulled up to her place. Martha was an attractive woman in her sixties with blonde and gray hair. She had been the one helping her mother teach Katrina everything she needed to know about cleaning.

"Welcome back, Katrina. Would you like me to bring your bags up?" Martha said as Katrina stepped out of the limo.

"Yes, please. Thank you for welcoming me back. Are my parents home?"

"Your mum isn't. She had an emergency at work. Your father is in his office."

"Great…" Katrina said as she knew her father was going to be a pain in the ass. Martha looked at her with sympathy and took her bags inside. Katrina saw Nate standing beside her.

"Do you want me to come up with you? I could have Chuck drop my things off." Nate said as he pulled her close to him. He didn't care if Gossip Girl posted a picture of them kissing.

"It's not really a good idea, but I'll call you tonight." she said as she was about to kiss him, but she saw Chuck staring at them from the inside of his limo. She gave him a look and he sighed and rolled up his window. "Are you disappointed with me?"

"Why would I be disappointed with you?"

"Look, I'm going to be honest. I haven't stopped drinking…I just do it less and I know my limits. Don't hate me. It's really more of a social thing…" she said knowing she sounded like she was rationalizing a problem she should have stopped.

"I understand. Just promise me that you won't get out of control. Don't let Chuck ruin you." he said staring down into her eyes and she felt like shit.

"I promise. Will you be there for me if I do fall off?"

"I will." he said as he kissed her. "Now, go up there and talk to your father."

"Okay…I'll talk to you later." she said as she watched Nate leave and she went inside. Her father, Walter, was one of the top plastic surgeons in New York and her mother was an accomplished choreographer, so they owned a very nice condo. After staying at her grandmother's modest home, her place seemed like a mansion.

"Dad?" Katrina said as she knocked on the door frame to her father's office. He looked up looking surprised to see her standing there.

"Katrina? I didn't see you there." he said as he rose up from his desk and walked over to her. He hugged her and looked at her for a long time.

"What? What's wrong?" she said panicking that he might have noticed that she had been drinking. She knew it wasn't too noticeable, but she knew he wouldn't be happy about it.

"You look like you've gained some weight. I'm not saying you look huge or anything. You look nice. You look healthier. It's nice."

"Thanks." she said knowing that was her father's doctor way of saying that she was too damn skinny before she left. "So…"

"What?" he said looking at her as if he was expected to say something more.

"Aren't you going to ask me how my summer was?"

"Oh, well I'm sorry. How was your summer?"

"Grandmas Lucille is amazing. She is so much like mama I don't even know how to begin." Katrina boasted, but stopped as she saw the look of irritation on Walter's face. "Dad…"

"Honey, you know I can't stand that woman and she hates me."

"But she's family and she's willing to be nice if you're willing to do the same."

"That'll happen if I get that in writing. Anyway, how did you get here?"

"Oh…I…uh…rode here with Nate and Chuck." Katrina said knowing that he hated them for what they did to her. He would never forgive Nate for betraying her, and he would kill Chuck for nearly sending her into a mental collapse.

"You what?! Katrina, do you have any idea of kind of people those two are?! Do you remember what they did to you?! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Dad…Nate and I are…dating. He's my boyfriend." she said looking down at the floor.

"The hell he is! I don't know what happened between you two in Georgia, but it's not going to continue here. It was bad enough that your mother told me that he was down there with you. Now, you're telling me that he's your boyfriend?! Don't let him showing you that real video of that atrocious shit fool you into thinking that he loves you. It's just some ploy he's using in the sick game between him, Jason, and Chuck."

"He's not using me. Wait a minute, you knew about the fake video?!" Katrina said getting angry because it seemed like she was the last one to know about it.

"Yeah…I knew about it. Nate came over here and showed me the video. I almost killed him for bringing that filth into my house…showing me that video of you passed out on a bed. That Jason Cromwell using you to get to Chuck is just disgusting. Anyway, I didn't know Nate was planning on going to Georgia until your mother told me."

"I can't believe you never told me you knew about…I can't believe Nate didn't tell me he saw you!" she was very pissed off and Nate was going to get an earful when she called him.

"See, he can not be trusted. He's no good for you, and the thought of you being around Chuck Bass is unsettling. Do you want to ruin you life? Can you imagine the things people would say if they found out you were hanging around him?"

"I'm not his friend. The only reason I'm around him is because of Nate. He is Nate's friend and if he sees something great in him, then I can't do anything about that." she said trying to hide her plan to ruin Jason Cromwell. She didn't want her father to know about her going to the dark side and aligning with Chuck Bass.

"What about your reputation? Do you really want to go down that road again? I don't think I or your mother could take seeing you in that state again."

"Dad, I've changed. That night made me think…it made me hate who I was before. It made me hate the person I was trying to be. Now, I'm trying to be a better person. You can thank grandma for that despite how you feel about her."

"Okay…" he said, reluctantly. "If she's responsible for the change in you, then I guess I'll try to be nice to her. But, I still don't like you dating Nate Archibald. He betrayed you and it's hard for me to forgive and forget that."

"It was hard for me, too. Believe me, I've declared my hate for him as soon as I saw him in Georgia. But, what he was saying was real, and he was truly sorry for what he did to me. If he's not, then I'm going to have to deal with it, but I'm dating him whether you like it or not."

"Katrina…" he groaned in frustration, but she knew that she had won that fight. He always did that whenever he argued with Donna and knew he lost the fight. "Okay, fine. It's your heart. If he breaks it, I don't want to hear anything about it. You're making this bed, then you're going to lie in it."

"I understand. Thanks dad." she said smiling as she left his office. She knew she was talking a lot of bullshit about trusting Nate, but she didn't even know if she could fully trust him. One thing she was sure of, Jason Cromwell was going to pay.


	15. Chapter 15

After taking a short nap, Katrina went out to go shopping. She spent most of her day getting retail therapy and being angry with Nate. She was completely pissed at Nate for not telling her about talking to her father. She didn't want to talk about it over the phone so she sent him a text asking if he could meet her at a new club called Show.

"I should kick your motherfucking ass!" Katrina said to Nate as he walked towards her.

"Excuse me?" he said looking completely confused. "What did I do?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you spoke to my father and showed him the real video?"

"Katrina…I wanted to tell you, but it slipped…"

"Don't you even dare tell me that it slipped your mind, that you forgot. You're full of shit, you know that?!" Katrina said feeling as if she would rip his pretty head off.

"Calm down. Okay, I didn't tell you that, but…"

"But, what?! You wanted to gain my trust so you could get me to come here quicker so you and Chuck and get your little revenge on Jason."

"Katrina, that's not it. I didn't tell you because I didn't know how you would react. I didn't want to lie to you about that, but I couldn't tell you. Forgive me, please." he said staring into her eyes and she felt weak staring into his ocean blue eyes.

"Okay, you're forgiven…sort of. You're going to have to work for my full forgiveness."

"Really? What did you have in mind?" he said putting on his sexy smirk.

"You have to attend a charity event with my mother and me." she said with a pleasant smile knowing that he was sort of disappointed that she wasn't talking about sex.

"Oh. Well, I'll be your date then. What time should I pick you up?"

"I'll pick you up. So, are you just going to stand there or are you joining me for a drink?" she said as she gestured toward a stool next to her.

"I'll join you, but I'm not so sure about the drink. Are you sure you're okay drinking again?" he said not wanting her to drink and end up in the state she was in before she left.

"Nate, if I tell you something, would you be angry with me?"

"You haven't stopped drinking…" he said looking down at the floor then looked back at her. She looked ashamed, but he didn't want to make her feel bad. "I'm not angry. I just don't want you to get out of control. I mean, it's usually not a problem to the person with the problem. Are you absolutely sure that you're okay just having one drink and stopping?"

"Yes. I've just realized that binge drinking is for thirteen year olds. But, seriously, I see it as a way to discipline myself to take control of my life. I mean, we're all basically 30. We all grew up quicker than most kids our age. So, are you mad at me?"

"Well, yes. You just blew up on me for keeping a secret and when I have the chance to do the same…I can't even think of something better than, 'I should kick your motherfucking ass!'." he said laughing and Katrina laughed also.

"Yeah, that was a good one, huh?" she said as she kissed him.

"It was. I just find it hard that you're going to kick my ass in that dress and those heels." he said referring to her copper color Marc Jacobs mini dress and matching heels…color and designer. "I see you went shopping today. You look beautiful."

"Yeah, I didn't realize it until I was packing that I gave most of my clothes to Latoya. Oh well, new wardrobe, new me." she said smiling and Nate leaned over and kissed her. She ordered herself and Nate a glass of wine.

Suddenly, Nate got and alert from Gossip Girl and he was looking around the club.

"What's wrong now?" Katrina said as she sipped from her glass and Nate showed her. She saw a picture of her and Nate kissing and it looked like it was taken a few minutes ago.

_Gossip Girl here,_

_It seems like a certain party girl has returned. Wonder if she knows about bad boy, Jason's real video. Though it appears that's the least of her worries. Looks like Nate won't be crossing the Brooklyn Bridge anytime soon._

_XOXO,_

_Gossip Girl_

Nate was looking around the club and didn't see Chuck, so he knew he couldn't have sent the tip to Gossip Girl. He wasn't really trying to keep their relationship a secret, but he didn't know people would respond this fast.

"Nate, I think I know who sent the tip." Katrina said staring off into space, but he looked in the direction she was staring and saw Blair's minions. Penelope, Hazel, and Isabelle were standing in the corner of the club pretending to look away from the bar.

"Look, if you want to leave, we can leave. It's okay."

"No, we can stay. One thing I've learned from spending the summer with Grandma Lucille, is to not sweat the small bullshit."

"Well, that would be all well and good if they weren't coming over here right now." he said as he saw them coming towards them with evil intend in their eyes.

"Well, well…party girl is back." Penelope said with a sneer. "And you've managed to latch yourself onto poor Nate Archibald."

"What do you want, Penelope?" Katrina said with irritation. She was expecting to see herself on Gossip Girl, but she was not in the mood for bullshit.

"I'm sure Blair knows your in town now…"

"Thanks to you bitches, she does." Katrina said as she got up off the stool and Nate knew Katrina was in attack mode. Normally, she wouldn't resort to getting physical because she viewed it to be tacky, but spending the summer with her wild cousin, Latoya, has made her a little rough around the edges. Although, he would love to see Katrina kick some ass. He was relieved to see her fold her arms across her chest. "I'm not in the mood for drama tonight, so I'll give you a message you can give to Blair, which I think she already knows because Chuck might have told her because I gave that same damn message to him. Anyway, the message is to watch her fucking back if she doesn't stay off of mine."

"Are you threatening a former Queen B?" Hazel said with a daring look.

"No. I'm just threatening a plain bitch. Now, go run and tell that." she said triumphantly and all three of them glared at her. "Oh, by the way, send this to Gossip Girl." she said as she held up her middle finger and walked off. Nate followed her feeling amazed at how strong she had gotten since she stayed with her grandmother, but he felt nervous for the retaliation she will face. Lucille never had to deal with vengeful bitches with power and money.

"Katrina," Nate said as he stopped her and pulled her into an embrace as they danced. "do you realize what you just did? There's no way to escape them, you're in New York, remember?"

"I know…" Katrina said with a sly smile knowing that Nate didn't have any idea of the sneaky tactics she would use to counter their attacks. She was ready to fight this time.


	16. Chapter 16

The next day, Katrina woke up with a note on her pillow from her mother apologizing that she missed her arrival and to meet her downstairs for breakfast. Though, she was bummed that she missed her mother, she was happy to make up the time, sans her father.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Donna greeted her as she saw Katrina descended the staircase. Katrina beamed as she ran the rest of the way down and hugged her mother. She had missed her so much, and she knew she would feel closer to her more than ever because she saw a lot of Lucille in her mother.

"Good morning, mama. I've missed you so much." she said as she pulled back and stared at her mother lovingly and Donna returned the look.

"I've missed you, too. So, what was it like living with my mother for the summer?"

"Oh my god, grandma Lucille is amazing. I had no idea that you two were so much alike. It was as if I was spending the summer with you. How were things here?"

"Nothing much exciting. I just worked, worked, worked. I swear these new crop of dancers don't have any idea of what they're doing. I mean, the show was opening in damn near five days and it was still sloppy. Anyway, your father worked hard as well."

"Of course…" Katrina said as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, now, don't be so hard on your father. He loves you, and the only reason he works so hard is to give you a better life than what we had."

"Okay, okay…I'll cut him some slack. Anyway, I had gotten to know Latoya more."

"Really? I swear it would be a million years until you two saw each other again."

"Wait, we saw each other before? I don't remember that, and she never mentioned it."

"Of course you two don't remember. You were babies…toddler, really. Your grandmother was really sick and we went down to Georgia to visit her. You two couldn't ever be separated. You were almost like twins."

"Wow…no wonder we clicked so well. It was almost like she was a sister, and she had my back when I was facing the firing squad at the family thing."

"I'm sorry for that. I really wanted to be there after not being there all these years. Did you send them my love? I hoped they understood that I was swamped at work."

"I have to be honest…they're pretty pissed. I mean, I had to defend myself but Latoya and grandma had my back."

"And from what I hear Nate Archibald had your back as well. So, he's your boyfriend, now?" she said smiling and, playfully, nudged her daughter. She was a little less serious than her husband and she had found it in her heart to forgive Nate when she saw how much he loved her.

"Yes, he is. Please don't be mad at me. I mean, we've been feeling this way for a while…ever since we were kids, really, but…"

"Katrina…I understand. I was young once, too. I felt the same way about your father."

"So, you're not angry with me? You approve of my relationship with Nate?"

"Yes. I approve of your relationship with Nate. Now, would you stop talking about it as if it was some agenda at some board meeting. He's your boyfriend." Donna said as she laughed.

"He is." Katrina said as she heard her phone telling her she got a text, and she knew it was from Nate. He had agreed to meet with her in Central Park for a walk.

"Now, Katrina…I hate to rain on your parade, but…your father also told me that you were talking to that Chuck Bass."

"I wasn't talking to him. I just rode with him from the airport because he was picking up Nate, and it was more convenient that way. I'm not friends with him. I'm still pissed at him for what he did to me." Katrina said choosing to not tell her mother about her teaming up with Chuck to ruin Jason. She didn't want to work with him, but they were both out for revenge.

"Okay, you know I don't agree with your father about the whole Nate thing, but I have to say that I just don't like Chuck. There is something seriously wrong with that boy. And that girl, Blair, is even worse. I know I shouldn't be saying this, but I was going to beat their asses if they didn't leave you alone."

"Mama…" Katrina said feeling embarrassed, yet she felt the same way.

"I know, I know…you can take care of yourself, but you know it's hard for a mother to not want to protect her cub against evil. Besides, I'm a grown ass woman…shouldn't even be talking about hitting a child my daughter's age. And you shouldn't either."

"Don't worry I won't. Though, I think being around grandma Lucille and Latoya has changed me a little. I think I can deal with Blair a little better if anything happens again."

"Katrina…why do you stoop so low to their level? I know you travel in a vicious circle, but I really don't like that you go out and partying and…"

"I'm not like that anymore, mom." she said knowing that it was half true.

"I know, but I feel like I did something wrong. Maybe, I should've let you gone to public school or kept you away from this life of money and secrets. You know, sometimes I wonder what would've happened to you if you grew up in Georgia."

"Mom, you're making it seem like I'm a bad person…" Katrina said feeling a little hurt.

"No, no…I'm not saying that you're bad. It's just this lifestyle. I know you're a better person now, but…I just wish you were a little more humble. I'm not saying that being wealthy is wrong. I just wanted to make sure you knew how lucky you are. I mean…I wanted you to fully appreciate what you have. You understand what I'm saying?"

"I think I do…I know before this summer I was a spoiled, rich brat. I was terrible and I'm going to still be terrible, but I have days, especially since this summer, that I truly think, 'Wow, I'm really lucky.' I'm trying to change because I don't want to disappoint you, because I know I disappointed you in the past. It's going to take some time, but I'm trying."

"I know you're trying, sweetie. I know you're trying." Donna said as she stared at her daughter proudly. "So, what do say we have that breakfast? I made pancakes, and I'm pretty sure they are ice cold by now…sorry about that."

"That's okay. Anything you make is good to me." Katrina said as she hugged her mother realizing that she didn't leave Lucille in Georgia because she was in her mother.

"Too much soul food, huh?" Donna joked and Katrina laughed.

"Yeah…Oh, can you believe that Nate actually ate some of the food, and I think he was actually enjoying most of it. It was rather amusing."

"So, you really like him?"

"Yeah…I do. I never thought that this would happen because we were such good friends. I mean, I knew I like him a lot, but I didn't know how he felt. It turns out that he had the same feelings about me that I had of him."

"You know…I have to admit that I would have never guessed that my best friend's son would be dating my daughter. I'm glad you two are together. I don't think I could take it if you were dating someone else. Nate's a good guy, and you're a good girl. I love you, Katrina."

"I love you, too, mom." Katrina said as they hugged.


	17. Chapter 17

Katrina was surprised by Nate standing outside her building instead of being in the park. They were going to meet there. Something important must have happened because he looked worried about something. She didn't know why, it wasn't like he was meeting her parents or anything. But, she decided to act surprised, yet happy to see him…after all, it is true.

"Hey, Nate. What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting at the park, but this is nice." she said as she kissed him, and though the kiss was received well, she could still tell that he was anxious about something. "Okay, what's wrong?"

"I…I lied about going to the park. We're going to visit Shane in rehab." he said looking down at the ground because he didn't want to see how angry she looked, though he found her attractive when she did get mad.

"Oh…okay, why?!" she said getting very angry. She knew that Shane was a reluctant participant in the incident, but that didn't stop her from being pissed with him.

"I know you're mad, but this could be a good thing. We need to know how Jason works if we're going to do this and Shane is the one person that could tell us."

"Okay, fine, but I'm not going to play nice. Just because he didn't want to do it doesn't make him my new best friend. He could've stood up for himself, but he chose to be a coward and, for some reason, that's not enough for sympathy from me. I'm trying to not be cold, but…it's hard for me to forgive him…"

"I understand. Look, I'm pissed at him too, but he had no choice. Jason was going to expose him…and even if it happened afterward anyway, he felt the need to protect himself."

"I know. It's just still so hard, but I'll be nice to him."

"Okay, we should probably go now." Nate said as he haled a cab for them.

About thirty minutes later, they were waiting in a drab, yet "encouraging" room. It sort of felt like a dorm room to them, but with way more decorations. Katrina shivered thinking that she could be in that place at any time, because she never really stopped drinking so that didn't count as recovery. She hated the thought of going back to her old ways that would land her there.

"Hello, Nate." Shane said as he stood at the doorway of this temporary room. He was looking a lot healthier, still a bit baby-faced, and he even put of some muscle. "Katrina…I…" he said as he struggled to find the right words to say to her. "I'm sorry."

"You should be…" Katrina said knowing that she sounded cold, but she was still angry.

"I know, and I am. I wished I could've stopped them. I mean, my secret came out anyway, right?" he said as he looked down at the floor. He wasn't expecting forgiveness from Katrina, and he would understand it if she wanted to kill him.

"How are you doing?" Nate asked and he saw Katrina relaxed her tough demeanor.

"I'm doing better. I fucking hate the withdrawals. I still have cravings, but I don't need it. I don't have any friends…but, I never had any real friends to begin with. Anyway, you wanted to talk about Jason and Kirk? Well, obviously, I haven't seen or heard from them."

"Well…" Katrina said in a nicer tone than earlier. "we were wondering if you knew anything about Jason's family. If there's a secret?"

"Oh, you mean the real Cromwell heir? Yeah, Chuck and I talked about that about a week ago. He came to visit me and he told me about your plan. It's pretty smart. I mean, that arrogant asshole would never see it coming."

"So, what happened to the real heir?"

"Well, I don't know. I mean, I've never seen her."

"Her?! The heir was a girl?!" Nate asked looking completely shocked.

"Yes, a girl. Anyway, one day Kirk and I were at his place when all of the sudden we heard his dad call for him. They were whispering and we just assumed it was just some family shit between them. I was going to tell Jason that I was leaving to meet up with some friends of my family. I was leaving to get high, but that's not the point. I overheard them talking about another Cromwell child and I just assumed that his dad had an affair with another woman. Then, I started thinking about why he would tell his son this. I mean, that would upset Jason, right? So, I kept listening and Jason's dad saying she can't exist and she would ruin everything."

"So," Katrina began, "Do you think he might have killed her?"

"If you're asking me if I think he's capable of it…yeah. I mean, he's fucking psycho and so is his dad. I think something is really fucked up with them."

"Does Kirk know about this?"

"No. At least, I don't think so. I mean, I'll be honest…I leaked the real video, and Jason exposed my drug problem, but Kirk is just a lackey. He seems like he's second in command, but he's just some poser loser. He'll do anything to have Jason's power, but I doubt he'll be an ally."

"I figured that much…" Katrina said knowing that his bad ass persona was just a show, especially all the shit he talked on the video. Still, he was too loyal to betray Jason.

"Listen, Katrina, I wasn't trying to be some heartless asshole by re-releasing that damn video, but I thought it would be a good way to make it up to you…and get Jason back. But, I mostly wanted to make it up to you. I'm sorry for all the shit you went through."

"I know." was all she could say because she was starting to think about Blair and Chuck. She knew Nate would never forgive her for getting revenge, so she was considering dropping the whole thing with them and just handle Jason. Then, again, it wouldn't hurt to make them suffer a little. She would continue to contemplate that for a while. "Thank you for talking to us today."

"Hey, no problem. I know we're not friends, but feel free to visit me if you want to talk or if you need some more shit on Jason."

"I'll take you up on that offer, and I hope you really do get 100% better."

"I hope so, too." he said staring off into space hoping that he would. "Hey, Katrina?"

"Yeah?" she said looking at Shane's anxious face.

"Be careful. I mean, I'm sure you can handle yourself with Chuck and Blair and whoever just spreads rumors. But Jason…he's like on some other level. He's really fucked up and I don't think he'll just stop at spreading rumors on Gossip Girl."

"I will." Katrina said as she left the room and caught of with Nate with Shane's words in her head. She was starting to think of leaving this revenge shit up to Chuck. Not that she would willingly let him take over, but she thought if Jason flipped out Chuck would be his target.

"What was that about?" Nate said seeing her strange look. He didn't know why, but it scared him that Jason might have killed a girl and it made him think of horrible things. He was actually cruel enough to kill a complete stranger. Nate didn't even want to think about the sick things he would do to Katrina before killing her.

"Nothing." she said shaking her head as if she was snapping out of a trance.

"Okay…anyway, I'm glad you decided to be nice. What changed your mind?"

"I guess I felt bad for him. I'm still angry, but…I kind of want to reach out to him. I mean, that could've been me in there…" she said shivering knowing that she could not slip up. Drinking was just a thing everybody she knew did, so there was no reason to lose control.


	18. Chapter 18

On the way back to Katrina's place Nate decided to stop at the Humphrey's and Katrina was a little reluctant because of two people…Jenny and Serena. She didn't like that she was jealous of Jenny for that brief thing she and Nate shared and she really hated Serena for what she had with Nate. She liked Dan, he seemed nice enough…a little stupid, but he was nice.

"Hey, Nate!" Dan said as he opened the door and looked strangely at Katrina feeling a little surprised as to why she was with him. Then, he stared down at Nate holding her hand. "I didn't know you two were dating…congrats." he said trying to hide his shock and there was an awkward silence to follow.

"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Nate said as he knew this was a shock to Dan, but he knew he didn't hate it as much as Chuck did, and he didn't even want to know how Vanessa would feel about it. He knew they would always have feeling for one another, but he was in love with Katrina. He couldn't think about being with anyone else but her.

"Yeah, yeah…sorry, come in." he said and Katrina looked at him as if he was an idiot. Was it that shocking that she was dating Nate Archibald?

"Hey Nate…and Katrina…" Serena greeted them with the same shocked look Dan wore and Katrina knew it was going to be a very difficult moment. "So, you and her?" she said getting angry. She would rather see him with Vanessa instead of Katrina.

"Serena, don't." Dan said knowing that Serena was still angry with Katrina for accusing Chuck of rape, not that she liked Chuck all that much, but Blair did and it hurt Blair that Chuck was being called a rapist especially when he didn't do it and Blair was Serena's best friend. It was a complicated thing to follow.

"No, she has a lot of nerve to show up here knowing that she lied about what happened to her." Serena said staring daggers into Katrina.

"Why the hell are you mad at me?! I thought you'd be the first person happy to see Chuck destroyed. By the way, I didn't lie…at least not on purpose. I just found out that the video was a fake, but that doesn't mean that I was wrong before I know. If I thought I was raped, then that's what it was." she said getting in Serena's face.

"Okay…" Dan said as he stood in between them and Nate pulled Katrina away. "As much as I would love to see a good catfight, let's not get any blood on the floor…I just cleaned it."

"Fine…" Serena said as she pulled out her phone front her bag. "I just have to warn Blair that her not so favorite person is joining us for lunch."

"That won't be necessary, Blair." Nate said as he grabbed Katrina's hand and they headed towards the door. He didn't need this type of drama for him and his girlfriend.

"Wait, man." Dan said as he stopped them. "Don't leave. Look, can't we just be adults about this?" he said as he stared at Blair coming into the doorway wearing her usual disgusted look whenever she was over at the Humphrey's. Her look of disgust morphed into one of pure rage as she saw Katrina standing there holding Nate's hand. "I guess not…"

"What the hell is she doing here?!" Blair said to Serena.

"I'm right here…talk to me. I'm here because Nate wanted to visit Dan."

"Ugh…I can't believe you two are dating. By the way, Penelope gave me your message and Chuck told me about your little plan. I hope you know that you are in way over your head, and you should've just stayed in Georgia."

"Really? Well, no one gives a shit about what you think. It's your fault I was in Georgia, and, thanks to you, Nate and I are dating…so, thank you." Katrina said with a smile knowing that Blair was burning up with anger.

"Nate, I can't believe you followed that to Georgia and ended up her love slave."

"Blair…" Nate said trying to focus his anger into something that didn't involve the violence he was thinking of acting on. "I'm with Katrina because I want to be with her. She didn't force me and I'm grateful that she can forgive me."

"For what? Lying about Chuck raping her when she wasn't even raped at all?! It wasn't his fault you're such a fucking lush and you passed out on a bed in my place!"

"Oh, yeah…go there, Blair. Just bring up the past and call me all the names in the book you should be calling your boyfriend as well. What about your little lush of a boyfriend? I wasn't the only one passed out that night! Remember that…" Katrina said getting in Blair's face.

"Hey, hey…what did I say about the blood on the floor?" Dan said stepping in between them. "Okay, you were wrong, Blair. You were wrong, Katrina."

"Serena," Blair huffed. "would you please tell your boyfriend that I'm not wrong? That it was Katrina's own fault that she was in that situation."

"Well…Jason was going after Chuck." Serena said and Blair looked at her as she betrayed her. "Look, I'm not saying that I'm all of the sudden Katrina's friend, but it is fact that it's kind of Chuck's fault because of his thing with Jason." she said and Katrina almost smirked with satisfaction. She knew Blair with have a comment to that.

"Fine…Jason is the one to blame, then. So, what are you going to do about him? Besides the stupid plan you and Nate are thinking of." she said and Nate glared at her.

"It's not stupid and Chuck is in on it, too, Blair." Nate reminded her.

"Well, I'm trying to talk him out of it."

"Wait," Dan said. "What plan are you talking about and Katrina is talking to Chuck?"

"There's this rumor of Jason not being who he really is…it's complicated." Nate said and Dan gave him a look telling him that he should give more of an explanation than that. "Okay, a long time ago, it's believed that Jason's dad killed a guy and took his identity and got rich in that identity. The real David Cromwell was an orphan until it was discovered that he had a half-sister and she found out about him and how wealthy he is. I think she didn't know that her real brother was killed, but she came from New Zealand to find her brother, but she went missing, and Shane said that he thinks Jason might have killed her."

"Fuck…" Dan said looking even more shocked than before. "So…you're going to use this against Jason? Why are you even getting involved with Chuck's bullshit?"

"Watch it, Humphrey!" Blair said and he ignored her.

"Anyway, you know I hate it when you get involved with Chuck's shit. I mean, those are his fucking enemies, and he should deal with them."

"Well, they're my enemies too." Nate said knowing that being Chuck's friend came with the risk, but he had a personal reason for getting revenge on Jason…Katrina.

"Okay, whatever, man. Your friend, your life." Dan said, then looked at Katrina knowing that Nate must have really liked her, because he was going to inherit one of Chuck's most powerful enemies. "Just be careful, okay?"

"We will. Trust me, we're trying to handle this from all angles. Well, we really should be going. I just wanted to pop in and say hello. We'll see you around." Nate said as he and Katrina were leaving and he noticed Katrina's look. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…Blair and Serena just got on my nerves, but, other than that, I'm okay."


	19. Chapter 19

A few days later, Katrina got a text from Chuck asking her to meet him at Show. She really didn't want to be seen talking in public with Chuck, but she was sure that by now that it was going around that she and Chuck had something on Jason.

"Hello, Katrina." Chuck said as she walked up to him sitting in one of the V.I.P. booths. Katrina was annoyed that Chuck dressed like a 50 year old man in a nightclub while she was outfitted in a purple Balmain mini dress. "Could I offer you anything to drink?" he said holding up a glass of scotch, and she almost strangled him. Why couldn't he just leave some things alone without making it a festering sore?

"Not right now." Katrina said and Chuck smirked causing her to want to smack that smirk off of his face. "Why did you want to meet me here tonight?"

"I'm throwing a little party and I wanted to invite you."

"Well, this is an elaborate invitation…" she began. "What else do you want?" she said knowing that Chuck was up to something more than a party invite.

"I just wanted to let you know that all of Constance Billard and St. Judes is invited. Meaning Jason and Kirk will be there…unfortunate for Shane to miss a big party." he said with a mocking sympathetic tone, and Katrina rolled her eyes.

"Back off of Shane and get to the point." she demanded and he smirked.

"Fine…the point is to expose Jason's secret at the party. This will for sure bring you your justice and revenge. What do you say, Katrina?" he said as he sipped from his glass and Katrina hated the way he said her name…it felt dirty whenever he said it, and it hinted at a little bit of sexual tension between them, and that turned her stomach.

"I say…okay. We'll expose him at the party. I hope you know that when I'm done with him, I'll be moving on to you and Blair."

"I told you that I'll be looking forward to that."

"Good. So, where is Nate? I assumed that he was going to be here…that's was the only reason I was going to meet with you."

"I told him to come a little later to give us some time to talk…and…it looks like our guests have arrived?" he said smirking and Katrina was confused, but was angry when she saw Nate enter the club and Vanessa walked up to him. Katrina wondered how long Vanessa had been in there and was she in on it.

"You son of a bitch…" she said and his smirk deepened. "You are unbelievable."

"Let's just say that this will give you more of a reason to come after me. Remember…I love a good challenge…" he trailed off when he saw Nate come towards the booth with Vanessa looking a little guilty, but Katrina wasn't angry with him. Chuck would feel her rage for that little stunt he pulled, she thought. "Well, hello, Nathaniel. Ah, Vanessa it's a pleasure to see you." he said and Nate glared at him.

"Chuck, we need to talk, now." Nate said trying to hide his anger. He wasn't too happy with what Chuck did and Katrina was happy about that.

"I think whatever you have to say can wait. I mean, we're in the company of two lovely ladies. Vanessa, I'm sure you've met Katrina before haven't you?"

"Yeah…nice meeting you again." Vanessa said as she held out her hand and Katrina accepted it with a smile trying to hide the rage building inside of her.

"Likewise. Nate, could I talk to you. It won't take long, Chuck." she said as she slipped out of the booth, grabbed Nate by the hand, and led him to a quite area of the club.

"Before you say anything, I promise you that I didn't even know that Vanessa was going to be here tonight." he said as he stared into her eyes.

"Don't worry. You're not the one I'm angry with. I swear Chuck Bass is a dead man…"

"Remember what I said about having my permission to go after him? Do it. This is so fucked up, and he has to see that. So, go for it."

"Oh, I will…" she said knowing that he would never get away with this.

"We should probably get back."

"Wait! Does Vanessa know about us…dating?" she said feeling a little guilty because she knew how much Vanessa liked him.

"I'm not sure. But, that doesn't matter. I'm with you." he said as he kissed her. "Do you want to dance? It appears that Chuck and Vanessa have hit the dance floor." he said seeing that Vanessa was doing most of the dancing and Chuck was just watching her as he sipped his scotch. Sometimes, it seemed like Chuck was lusting after her…like he really wanted her beyond just using her to screw with Nate and Blair.

"Sure." Katrina said as they made their way to the dance floor and began dancing to "Sweet Dreams" by Beyonce. Nate leaned in to kiss her and she felt a flush of heat pulse through her body. Suddenly, she felt Vanessa's eyes on her. That look in her eyes chilled Katrina to the bone because she had worn that same look when she saw Nate with Serena, Blair, Jenny, and eve Vanessa. That look of jealousy, anger, hurt, and confusion.

"Katrina, what's wrong?" Nate asked her looking at her face for a sign of a problem. Then he looked in the direction she was looking and he saw Vanessa staring at them. He could tell that she was hurt, but he didn't mean to hurt her. Sure, he still cared about her, but he didn't love her…not anymore. Besides, they decided to be friends. Vanessa, abruptly, left. Katrina followed her with a failed attempt by Nate to stop her, so he followed them.

"Vanessa, wait!" Katrina said as he caught up to Vanessa.

"Congratulations…" Vanessa said trying to hide her tears. "You know…I've been hearing that you two were together for a while, and it didn't bother me before. I guess, it's kind of hard to let go when you see it in person…"

"I'm sorry…" Nate said and Katrina knew that any other girl would get angry with her boyfriend for apologizing to his ex for moving on, but she, for some strange reason, understood.

"Don't be sorry, Nate." Vanessa said smiling. "I'm happy for you and Katrina. Besides, you two are a way cuter couple than you and I were." she said jokingly, but Katrina knew she was only doing that to hide her pain. "Well, I should probably go. See you around sometime." she said as she left the club.

"Katrina…are you okay?" Nate asked unsure if she was pissed or not. He hated that he still cared for Vanessa so much, but he knew that Katrina wouldn't hate him if he was just friends with her. Though, that would be very hard, because it seemed that Vanessa wanted him back.

"Yeah…I just hated seeing her hurt like that. Damn Chuck for that."

"I didn't even know that she was here until she stopped me at the front door. I got a little suspicious when I saw Chuck smirking when he saw Vanessa approached me and he was talking to you. What was he talking about anyway?"

"He…well, we decided to expose Jason's secret at a party Chuck is throwing. The whole school is going to be there, and it's a sure way to destroy Jason. He personally invited me."

"Okay…I hope you two are sure about this." he said and she was feeling the same way.


	20. Chapter 20

It was the night of the party, and Katrina felt as if everyone were staring at her and Nate. Though, she knew it was shocking to be seen with Nate Archibald because he was Chuck's friend, but she was getting annoyed with the looks. She also knew they were watching her…waiting to see if she was a train wreck again. Oh, how they would be very disappointed.

"Are you sure about this?" Nate asked feeling a little self-conscious with all the stares.

"Yeah…I'm sure." she said as she saw Kirk on the other side of the room hitting on one of the most insecure of girls, and she knew he was just doing that to fuck with her head.

"Okay…" he said hating that she was ready to destroy a guy's life, but he wasn't feeling sympathy for Jason or anything. He destroyed Katrina's life first, but, thankfully, he was there to pick up the pieces Jason left behind.

"Well, hello, Nathaniel. It's lovely seeing you again, Katrina, and might I add you look amazing." Chuck said as he greeted them and Nate rolled his eyes. He told Chuck to be nice, but he was pushing it to the point of nausea.

"Chuck," Katrina began, "you can stop being nice. Just tell me if Jason is here. I see Kirk." she said wanting to drop the formalities.

"Jason is here somewhere. But, I have something to show you. Nate, do you mind if I borrow her for a moment? It won't take long, I promise."

"Sure, I see Dan and Serena coming in anyway…and you two play nice…" he said and Katrina rolled her eyes. "I'll see you." he said as he kissed her cheek and she, reluctantly followed Chuck to a small office in the club he owned. She was shocked to see Shane there.

"Shane?! What are you doing here? I thought you were in rehab."

"I am. I just made a deal with my drug counselor to be here to test myself. That part is true, but there was something I found out about. Look at this." he said as he spun his laptop around to an article from a New Zealand paper with a picture of a girl named Maka. She was very pretty with shoulder length brown hair. She was reported missing by her mother after she hadn't heard from her daughter for more than a week after her arrival in the U.S.

"Is this the real Cromwell heir…heiress?"

"That's what I'm thinking. She's half-Maori and she came to New York. The article didn't specify which part of New York. It could be a coincidence, but I doubt it."

"So, what do you want to do with this information, Chuck?"

"I think we should leak this as well. Why not do a double destroy?"

"I don't know…I think what we have on him now is good enough. I mean, what if we can't prove that he killed her? We would look like we were making it all up to attack him."

"Katrina, we know that it's true. He knows that it's true, so it wouldn't matter. You do want your revenge, right, Katrina?"

"Yeah…but I didn't want to do it your way. Remember this is my revenge, not yours, and since this is your fault, you don't have a say in how it goes down."

"So, you want to destroy him, but you just want to do it nicely. Get a grip, Katrina. The guy made it seem like I raped you just to get to me. He deserves it."

"Look who's talking…you know you deserve far worse."

"Uh, guys…" Shane said as he stared at the security monitor and saw Nate and Jason engaged in a very fierce argument. It appeared as if they were close to an actual fist fight.

"Damn it…" Chuck trailed off as he and Katrina went into the main area and saw Nate get into Jason's face. Kirk was standing at his side while Dan stood at Nate's trying to pull him away. "Nathaniel, he's not worth it. This isn't your fight."

"Yes, it is. He hurt Katrina, it's my fight."

"Nate," Dan said pulling him away. "Just let Chuck handle his own bullshit for once."

"Mind your own business, Humphrey." Chuck said glaring at him.

"Whatever. Fuck it…" he said as he let go of Nate and walked off with Serena after him. He was clearly upset with Nate for this, but he knew to just get out of the way when it came to things that involved him and Chuck Bass.

"Nathaniel…I'll handle this. Just walk away, and I'll handle this asshole." Chuck said trying to calm him down. Nate's little fight with Jason could ruin it all.

"The only asshole in here is you, Bass." Jason said not taking his eyes off of Nate. "You and your little bitch, Archibald, here." he said and Nate launched forward to attack him, but Katrina and Chuck held him back.

"Fuck you, poser!" Nate said and Chuck sighed in frustration at the sloppy delivery of the shocking news. It was going to be hard to clean that up. Though, the words did have the desired effect…Jason's anger faded because he knew he was screwed.

"Shut up, Archibald." Jason said in a warning, yet cautious tone.

"What's the matter, Jason?" Shane said with a smirk, and Jason looked shocked and betrayed. Kirk was shocked and so was everyone else. "Are you scared of the truth getting out?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jason said shrugging. Katrina knew he was trying to appear unnerved on the outside, but she knew he was scared on the inside. "You must be high out of your mind or something." he said laughing, but the only person laughing with him was Kirk. Shane was right, he was extremely loyal to Jason.

"Oh, I think you know what I'm talking about…and so does Chuck and Katrina. Face it, Jason, you're done. I don't even know why you thought that fucked up plan would work, but it came back on you, tenfold. You must have been high to think that it would work."

"Oh, shut up you pussy!" Kirk said glaring at Shane. Katrina could tell that underneath that tough exterior, Kirk was threatened by the presence of Shane because he would lose his coveted high ranking.

"Kirk, you're so fucking clueless…I don't even know where to begin." Shane said laughing at how stupid Kirk could be.

"What the fuck are you talking about?!" he said getting angry, and Katrina had had enough of the guessing game…it was now or never.

"He's talking about Jason's father killing a man and taking his identity, you idiot!" she said and she smirked when she heard the many gasps of the audience. Jason's eyes grew with rage, but he didn't move because Nate was standing right in front of him and he knew that if he went for Katrina, he wouldn't even make it an inch towards her. "Yeah…you all heard me. His father killed a man in Australia and pretended to be him, and Jason knew about it. You are nothing but a fake and so is your father. You knew about what your father did and you covered it up and went on as if everything was normal. You're pathetic."

"You bitch!" Jason yelled as he punched Nate and launched at her. She was saved by security tackling him down to the ground and escorted him and Kirk out of the club. Katrina went to Nate's aid and helped him off the floor.

"Are you okay? You took a pretty nasty punch…" she said as she touched his bloody lip.

"I'm okay. Are you okay?" he asked and she nodded ignoring the stares she was getting.


	21. Chapter 21

The next day, Katrina woke up after a drama-filled night. First was the incident at the party, then the drama that happened when she arrived at her place with Nate. Her parents saw a picture of her and Nate at Chuck's club on a blog similar to Gossip Girl, and they were not happy that she was seen with socializing with Chuck Bass. Walter and Nate had a heated argument until Donna stopped them and asked Nate to leave and come back the next day until he cooled off.

"Katrina!" she heard her mother call her from downstairs. She wasn't upset so that was a good sign. "could you come down for a moment?"

"Okay, I'll be down in a bit." she called down as she got out of the bed.

When she walked downstairs, she saw her mother and father sitting at the table and she joined them. Her father wasn't as forgiving as her mother, but she wasn't surprised about that.

"Katrina…we need to talk." Donna began. "Your father and I…had this for a while and we wanted to share it with you, now." she said holding up an acceptance letter to Columbia University. "You were accepted." Donna said smiling.

"Really?! Oh my god! I can't believe it!" she said as she bolted up from the chair and began jumping up and down. She had always wanted to go there ever since she was in middle school, but she had another reason to go…Nate Archibald.

"Congratulations, baby!" Walter said as he hugged her and, for once, it was a genuine moment between them that didn't involve an argument.

"Dad…I'm sorry about…everything."

"Well, yeah…I'm sorry for being so hard on you. I really am proud of you. And…I'm sorry about last night. However, I still don't like you dating Nate, but…you're a woman and your mother reminded me of how much he really likes you. Besides, the kid's got balls for arguing with me after taking a punch to the face. I got to admire that in a guy. So, date him if you want…" he said reluctantly.

"Thanks, dad." Katrina said feeling happy that he was at least trying to cope with her relationship with Nate. Suddenly her phone rang, and she answered it. "Hey."

"Katrina…is it safe for me to call you?"

"Yeah, it's safe…guess what…I got into Columbia!"

"Really?! That's great!"

"Katrina, we're off to work." Donna said and Katrina nodded. "Could you apologize to Nate for us…well, me mostly, but yeah the both of us?"

"Sure! Have fun at work!"

"What was that about?"

"My parents are going to work leaving me here alone…wanna come over?" Katrina said with a suggestive tone.

"I'd love to come over. When?"

"Now would be nice. Martha is leaving in about an hour, my parents are gone, and we have to celebrate my acceptance…"

"Well, I'll be over there. I just have to take care of my busted lip. It's still swollen."

"I'm sure a kiss from me would help."

"It would…Oh, I have some news."

"What?"

"Jason's dad has been taken into custody as a suspect for the murder of the real David Cromwell. Chuck told me about the Cromwell heiress, and the missing person's report. Nothing new has come from that and Jason's not a suspect. Sorry…"

"It's okay. How bad is his reputation suffering?"

"Well, Gossip Girl posted a story about what happened at the party and the secret…and I just heard that he lost an internship. Chuck's very pleased."

"I'm sure he is…" she said rolling her eyes. Of course, Chuck would like to see Jason lose everything. She, however, didn't want to see him fully destroyed…just enough to make him lose the respect of the many people he tried to control. Not that she was saying that she was better than Chuck, because, after all, she did want the revenge.

"Yeah…well, he had his issues with Jason before you had. It was Chuck's fault anyway that you ended up in that mess. If Jason wasn't trying to get to Chuck, you wouldn't have had to go through all of that. And…I'm really sorry for what happened afterwards. I know you told me to stop apologizing, so I'm apologizing for Chuck since won't do it."

"That's very sweet of you, Nate. Well, I think I should go and get ready. I just woke up like minutes ago. I'll see you later."

"I can't wait. Bye." he said as he hung up and Katrina went into the kitchen

"Martha," Katrina began. "Do you mind leaving a little early today?"

"Of, course I don't mind…you know me. Anytime to I can leave early is a good time. Would you like me to do anything before I go?"

"You could prepare lunch. A nice pasta salad would do."

"I can do that."

"Great! I'll be in the shower while you prepare lunch. Oh, and prepare it for two. I have a guest coming over today."

"Okay. Enjoy your shower."

Katrina went upstairs to her bathroom, and turned on the shower. She undressed and stepped into the tile stall letting the water hit her back. She was still happy about getting into Columbia, and even happier that she was going to be there with Nate. She didn't know if their relationship would survive, but it was nice for the moment. She turned off the water and heard the radio in the kitchen blasting the Beetles, and she chuckled at Martha getting into the zone. She wrapped the towel around her and stepped into her bedroom to her closet trying to find something she would wear. She found her Thomas Wylde top and Alexander McQueen jeans. She knew that even if she was a better person, she couldn't give up her designer labels. Suddenly, she heard the music being turned off and she knew that Martha was leaving.

"Martha? Are you leaving?"

"Yes, Katrina. Was there anything else that you needed?"

"Uh…I don't think so…Enjoy your day."

"The same to you darling. Goodbye." Martha said as she left and Katrina sat at her vanity putting on makeup and put her hair into a simple ponytail. She went downstairs and smelled the pasta salad sitting on the counter. She loved Martha's cooking, though it didn't compare to her grandmother's. She sighed thinking about how much she missed her. She had learned a lot from her, and she promised herself to visit her more often. She also needed to visit Latoya and see how proud she would've been at the way she handled the situation, though she did it without violence.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and she looked at the clock. That was fast, she thought as she went to the door and opened it.

"Jason?!" she said feeling shock and rage as she saw Jason standing in front of her.


	22. Chapter 22

"Katrina, I know you're angry with me, but can I come in?" he said in a tone suggesting that he was trying to apologize.

"Hell no!" she said as she stood in the middle of the doorway making sure he wouldn't even cross the threshold. "I don't see you walking away, Jason." she said sternly and, suddenly, his face changed from the serene mask to one of anger.

"You know my father is a suspect for murder because of you."

"Well, he did murder a man. I say the punishment fit the crime. Now, if that's all you have to say, I would really appreciate if you left right now before it gets ugly."

"Katrina…I'm sorry." he said staring into her eyes and it almost seemed sincere, but she knew better than to trust that.

"Jason…" she said trying to control her rage. "I don't know what is going through your head right now, maybe you're drunk or high, but being here is a stupid move. Do you realized that I'm trying my best to not fucking kill your ass right now."

"I'm not drunk or high, and you couldn't kill me if you tried." he said moving forward causing her to move backwards. "See, I don't think you've got it in you to kill me…"

"Oh, yeah…you're the murderer. You would know what it takes to kill someone."

"My, my…what a brave girl you are, Katrina. Though, I think you better watch it. I could hurt you, you know. I'm not some poser bad boy like Chuck Bass scheming and plotting. If I make a threat…let's just say I don't make threats. Now, I don't want to hurt you, so let's see if we can talk calmly."

"You have two minutes to say whatever you want to say, then you get your ass out of here." she said as she stared, unflinchingly, into his eyes.

"I just want to clear up a few things…I know you saw the video. Look…I'm sorry for what happened afterwards to you. I didn't mean for any of that shit to happen to you. I was only trying to get at Chuck and I didn't mean for you to get hurt in the process. I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing now? What? You want me to retract what I said at the party? Well, you can fucking forget about that. What I said was true, and you know it."

"I know that, but you didn't have to ruin my life, Katrina!"

"You ruined mine first, Jason!" she said getting louder.

"I didn't do any of that shit! Sure, I used you to get to Chuck, but I wasn't the one that called you slut or a drunk! It was all Chuck. I feel sorry that you were the one to be a pawn in the game. But, I didn't do all that shit after it happened."

"Would you fucking listen to yourself?! You act as if it's okay to use someone else in your sick mind games with Chuck! You are completely soulless for that, you know that?! My life was ruined, and it cost me my friend…thankfully, I got him back."

"Oh, you mean Nate "the hero" Archibald?! Oh, please…Katrina. He abandoned you and believed Chuck over you. How long have you been friends? Look, I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell you this, but it wasn't an accident that you were chosen. I…did it to get you to like me."

"What?!" she said knowing that he had lost his mind.

"I know it sounds twisted, but I seized the opportunity when you passed out. I knew it wouldn't have been long until Chuck would pass out too. The thing is…I was hoping to come to your rescue after the video came out. I didn't plan on people turning against you and making you the villain. I was supposed to be your hero…not Nate."

"Get out!" she yelled hating that he brought up Nate's betrayal and telling the stupid details of his elaborate plan to win her heart. Sure she had forgiven Nate, but it was hard having to relive that again. And hearing that plan was more than she could take without killing him.

"Katrina…I'm sorry."

"Leave! Get out!" she yelled as she slapped him hard across the face and he grew angry and slammed pushed her against the wall as he kicked her door shut. He pinned her arms down at her sides as he kept her pinned against the wall.

"Let's get one thing straight…I said that I didn't want to hurt you, it didn't mean that I wouldn't. So, if you hit me like that again, you'll regret it."

"Oh, what are you going to do? Kill me like you killed Maka?!" she said and Jason's face changed to one of pure rage and suspicion.

"How did you know about her? No one knew about her, unless…Shane knew."

"Yeah…and the fact that there's a missing person's search on her. Her mother was getting worried about her because she hadn't heard from her ever since she arrived in New York. It didn't take a genius to realize that she was the real Cromwell heiress."

"I had to kill her. That bitch was going to ruin everything my father worked for."

"You mean everything he stole?"

"He had to! It was supposed to be him that got the scholarship! Not some lucky asshole that got it because he was an orphan! My father worked just as hard as that guy, and probably even harder! So, he did what he had to do to get where he is! The real David Cromwell was a jerk! You see how he didn't claim his daughter?!"

"He didn't deserve to die because of that! So, he was a deadbeat dad…who cares?! You killed an innocent girl because you didn't want to give up your cushy life and come to terms that your father is a murdering psychopath!"

"You bitch!" he said as he slapped her and gripped her throat. "My father isn't a psychopath! Chuck Bass and his father are, but we're not!"

"Really? Could've fooled me. The grip on my throat is telling something different."

"Oh, Bart Bass have done a lot worse than what my father done. Bart and Chuck Bass are exactly like David Cromwell. Smug little assholes…and stupid. Do you really think he would've passed out at the party if I hadn't drugged him?"

"You…drugged him? Did you drug me, too? Did you?!"

"Yeah…I did. Tell me, when was the last time you ever remember getting shit-faced from just two drinks? You didn't even think about how many drinks you truly had that night because you were more concerned with waking up in bed with Chuck the next day. I knew you would think that you slept with him and you would try to retrace your steps that night, so I planted the video and put the thought of Chuck raping you in your head to distract you."

"You sick bastard! Do you love fucking with people's lives?!"

"No…I just wanted you. I meant what I said. I've been crazy about you for a while, but you would never see that. You and your stupid crush on Nate…"

"Nate loves me…all you wanted was to fuck me…" she said through clenched teeth. "It will never happen! You disgust me! You're pathetic! You're…" she said but was cut off by him kissing her, and she fought to get him off of her. He laughed when he pulled away from the kiss and she spit in his face. "Get off of me!" she shouted and Jason slapped her even harder than before. Suddenly, she saw Jason fall to the floor with Nate standing over him holding something heavy in his hand. "Nate…" she said as she stepped over Jason and hugged Nate.


	23. Chapter 23

"Did he hurt you?" Nate asked as he stared at her and she shook her head.

"No…he just slapped me a few times and he kissed me, but that's it." Katrina said and he looked down at Jason moaning as he was coming to. "You motherfucker!" she said as he delivered a hard kick to his stomach and Nate held her back.

"Is that the best you've got, Katrina?!" Jason chuckled out as he sat up and leaned against the wall and stared up at her. "I know you have more rage than that."

"Believe me, if Nate wasn't stopping me…you'd be feeling my rage full on."

"He's not worth it, Katrina." Nate said holding her back as he sneered down at Jason. "We'll let the cops take care of him."

"I didn't call the cops…" Katrina trailed off feeling confused.

"You didn't have to. DNA was found on Maka's body, and Jason is a suspect in her murder. I'm sure it's a match, right Jason?" Nate said and Jason smirked. "And look, Katrina, it appears you have his DNA under your fingernails." he said and she looked confused then she saw that she had blood under three of her fingernails. She was confused as to how she had blood under her fingernails until she saw three tiny scratches on his collarbone. She knew she must have scratched him sometime after she pushed him off after he kissed her. She looked at Nate and grinned when he looked at Jason. "I say it's a perfect match."

"You can't prove that…" he said smirking and Katrina felt like smacking that stupid smirk off of his face. "I'll just deny everything. Kirk will be my alibi."

"Oh, that's right," Katrina began. "He's your boyfriend and he doesn't want to see your sorry ass in prison being someone's bitch. I say we're doing him a favor so he can stop being yours." she said and Jason chuckled.

"Very funny, Katrina…but, I think, your boyfriend here knows all about being someone's bitch. He's nothing but a little lapdog to Chuck Bass."

"Say whatever you want about me, Jason. I don't care if you call me Chuck's bitch, but I'm not a killer like you. And…not only are you a killer, you're a pathetic loser hitting women. What? You can't hit a man unless he's not expecting it?"

"Fuck you! I don't think you really want to fight me…" he said but the sound of a loud knock at the door stopped him.

"NYPD! Open up!" yelled a police officer and Nate stared at Jason and smirked.

"Let them in, Katrina…" Nate said and Katrina let the police in. Two officers walked in and arrested Jason. They dragged him away as a detective came up to them.

"We're going to have to ask you to come to the station to put in a statement."

"Okay…" Katrina said as she breathed.

"I'll take her." Nate said as they left her place and trailed the police back to the station.

After making her statement and filling out paperwork, Katrina was walking down the hallway when she saw the interrogation room was empty. She saw a female officer standing outside the door of the room, and she approached her.

"Excuse me…where is Jason Cromwell?"

"He's in custody in a holding cell."

"Is it possible for me to see him?"

"Yeah…let me just alert the guards." the woman said as she called the guards and told them Jason had a visitor. "You're clear to go in." she said and Katrina when through the doors and was met with security. All of her things was already confiscated earlier, so she just had to walk through the metal detectors. She walked down the hall through another set of doors until she saw Jason sitting alone in his cell. He looked up and saw Katrina walk his way.

"Well, Katrina…" he said as he stood up and walked to the bars and stood in front of her. "you got want you wanted. Not only did you get me, you've managed to get my father as well. I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Oh, spare me the guilt trip bullshit. You did this to yourself the moment you thought of using me and Chuck in you stupid plan. I guess the whole killing two birds with one stone thing didn't work out for you too well, because you're sitting behind bars, Chuck is free to be more of a smug asshole, and you didn't get to play hero and satisfy your lust for me. I'm sure you know all of your assets will go to Maka's husband and child. She was a young wife and mother, and she was entitled to all the shit you took for granted."

"What do you want?" Jason said sounding annoyed and defeated.

"I wanted to see you sitting behind bars because I wanted to know if I had changed. I wanted to know if seeing your life ruined would make me regret what I've done to your life. I wanted to know if I was the old me…stuck in the same backstabbing ways…the lies, the evil intend behind every action. I wanted to know if I had truly changed."

"Well, did you change…party girl?" he said as he leaned into the bars and stared into her eyes. His steel blue eyes penetrated her as his words attempted to slice her as well.

"No…seeing you behind bars is very satisfying, and knowing that you can't just throw around your money to get yourself out of this is even better."

"At least, you're not denying how you feel. It feels good, doesn't it? The power."

"Yes…" she said hating that he was right. She didn't want to be this person again. She loved that she was becoming a different person, but that all changed as soon as she landed in New York. She had fallen into her old ways…everything except the heavy drinking. She had kept her promise to her grandmother and Nate with that.

"Let me guess, you hate that you love it, don't you?" he said rolling his eyes.

"I hate it so much. I hate being like this. I wanted to change." she said trying to figure out why she was being completely honest with the one guy she hated, and wanted to kill for destroying her life. Though, she ruined his far worse than he ruined her life. She didn't know why she was feeling so guilty.

"Well, I hate to break it to you…I think you have changed. Tell me, did the old you ever feel guilty for getting revenge?"

"No…" she said realizing that there must have been a change in her because she couldn't remember feeling guilty about the past shit had done. "I know I would do this without thinking of anyone else, but me. Now, I…"

"Katrina…I'm only going to say this once, so listen up. Make that change you wanted to make. Don't end up like everyone else, and don't end up like me…there, I said it. You got your rare once in a lifetime look into the soul of Jason Cromwell…Jason Stewart…" he said revealing his real last name and a side that Katrina didn't really want to see. It made Jason seem like human and it made her sick to her stomach even more knowing that a life is ruined because of her. She knew she went to far this time. "You should head back. Congratulations…" he said and she walked away and was escorted back. She didn't know what he meant by that, but she didn't want to know. She saw Nate and he smiled when he saw her.

"Katrina, are you okay?" he asked and she nodded, but she knew she was far from okay.


	24. Chapter 24

It had been two weeks since Jason's arrest, two weeks since Jason said those words to her from behind bars and she couldn't get them out of her head. She began to wonder what kind of person she was for enjoying the fact that she destroyed his life beyond repair. She hated that she had gone that far, but Chuck was pushing her. He had convinced her that if she was going to get revenge, she should go all the way. She wondered if he would feel that way whenever she took her revenge on him. If she decided to do that at all. Yes, she was actually considering not getting revenge on Chuck Bass. It might be a stupid move, but she'd rather be stupid than stuck in that world. She had promised herself to change.

"Katrina?" Nate asked looking at her with a worried face. Her attention was brought to his wonderful blue eyes as he stared at her lost brown eyes. He had noticed that she had been a bit off since Jason's arrest. "Are you okay?"

"No…" she said realizing she was going to be completely honest. Usually, she would hide it with a forced smile or a laugh, but she was tired of pretending and, with Nate, she felt she shouldn't have to pretend. He would always know if she was pretending anyway.

"What's wrong? Does it have anything to do with Jason?"

"Yeah…I never told you this, but when I saw him in that cell, behinds those bars…I thought I would be satisfied. I wasn't. It wasn't like I wanted to crush him even more…it's just…I hated myself for putting him there. I don't know…I feel guilty. Sure, he deserved a lot of shit, but…he didn't deserve that. I know, I know…it's stupid to feel bad."

"It's not stupid, Katrina. It's okay to feel guilty. I'd be worried about you if you didn't."

"I don't know…I think I pushed it too far. I wanted to change. You know, Jason said something to me that day that I can't get out of my head. He told me to make the change I wanted to make and to not end up like the rest of us, especially him. He let me see into his soul. He was so…defeated. I don't think I've ever seen him like that, and I was the one that made him like that. I ruined his family's life. God, how does Chuck do this without a second thought?"

"Oh, trust me, he thinks about this more than you think. He's not completely cold-hearted. He just has to appear to have a thick skin. But…he has his weaknesses.

"Yeah, but can you pinpoint them out…and it's got to be one that's not Blair Waldorf."

"Well, there's…" Nate said trying to figure a weakness that he saw in Chuck, but he couldn't think of any besides Blair. He was head over heels in love with Blair and he even had feelings for Vanessa, even if he didn't admit it.

"See? He's got a pretty thick skin."

"Speaking of Chuck, he asked me when you were making your move. He wanted to know if you wanted to make it as challenging as possible." he said mocking Chuck's tone and mannerism when ever he talked.

"Well, you can tell him to rest easy. There won't be any retaliation from me. I'm throwing in the towel with him." she said and Nate looked shocked.

"Wait, you're not going get the revenge you swore you would get after you ruined Jason?! You're, seriously, shaken up by what Jason said to you, aren't you?"

"Yeah…call me weak, but…I feel like complete shit for doing that to you. Even after all that shit he had done to me, I still feel bad for him." she said as she picked up her cup of coffee and sipped from it. Nate felt helpless as he watched her. He wanted to tell her that everything was alright and he didn't hate her. He thought Jason deserved what he got, but it was killing him to see Katrina so torn over it. Still, he admired her for being wise enough to know she had gone too far and made a decision she wasn't happy with.

"Katrina, you are not weak. I think you are the strongest person I know. You're changing and that's a good thing."

"That's the problem, I'm not changing. Not on the inside. I'm still a bad person. I still want to step on people and backstab to get ahead. I still want to buy clothes that cost more than my grandmother's house. But, I hate being that person. Jason just made me face what I hated so much. You don't know what it's like to see someone so broken knowing it's you fault."

"You're right, I don't know what that feels like, but I do know Chuck does. Talk to him."

"Are you fucking high?! I'm not talking to him. I'd rather talk to Jason…" she said with a shiver of having to look in him the eye again. "I don't want that asshole knowing any of my deepest darkest fears and secrets. He'd probably use that shit later. What were you thinking?!"

"Look, I was just trying to help you out. I hate seeing you torn up about this."

"I know, but I'm not talking to Chuck. Hell no."

"Okay, who else can you talk to?"

"As much as I hate saying this…Jason."

"What?! Katrina, no." Nate said shaking his head. He didn't want Jason getting anywhere near her. He'd probably get in her head and cause her to slip deeper into her guilt.

"I don't want to talk to him, either. I don't trust him at all, but…it's complicated. I can't explain it, because I don't even understand it, but…I want to talk to him."

"He used you to get to Chuck, and he used Chuck to get you. He made up some elaborate plan to get you. I don't think it's wise for you to see him."

"I know I should be furious with him. I should feel like I want to kill him. I do, I do want to murder him, but…part of me…I don't know…I don't really want to help him, but…I think he can help me. I know it sounds strange…"

"I wish I could be in your head right now, to know your thought process. I wish I could understand why you're willing to reach out to you enemy."

"Nate, being inside my head wouldn't help because I don't even comprehend my own thought process. It's like being a scientist that inventing a new chemical and not know how to explain it to anyone else because you don't even know how to explain it to yourself."

"Wow…that was a good analogy. Why do you hide your poetry again?" he asked as a joke, but he really did wonder why she never told anyone that she wrote poetry. He actually liked that she wrote poetry. It was a part of her that he wanted to know more. A part of himself that he wished he had buried and hidden away from everyone only to have Katrina to discover.

"I don't know…I guess I would hate it if anyone know about it because…I guess that was the one thing I pour my heart into and for anyone to attack it would be like attacking my children or something." she said and Nate felt as if they were living in two different worlds. The one he was in, and the one he in which he wanted to join Katrina.

"Katrina…you should never hide the fact that you write poetry out of fear. I think that's the most beautiful thing about you. I just wish I could be more like you."

"You are…you just don't see it yet. But, I see it. I see it in the way you care about your mother, the way you care about Chuck, even if I don't understand it and can't stand it, and I see it in the way you care about me." she said a she leaned over the table and kissed him. "You're a good guy, Nate. Whether you believe it or not." she said knowing that it was true. But, as good as he may be…he still wouldn't like her talking to Jason after what he did.


	25. Chapter 25

Katrina walked into the cold, gray room of the visitor's area of the prison in which Jason was transported to. It was something similar to OZ, but she knew that it was far from the TV show. She sat in the room wondering if Nate was right about it not being a good idea to talk to Jason. Not, that she felt she owed him anything, but her guilt wouldn't go away. She never imagined that she would feel so guilty.

"Katrina…" Jason said as he walked into the room wearing gray sweat pants and a black tank. Katrina saw that he wasn't in such good shape. His hair was unkempt and he appeared to have been beaten up a little. He had a black eye and several small cuts and bruises along his face. "You couldn't stay away, could you? Better be careful, I think your precious Nate would get jealous if he knew about your little crush on me…" he said with a chuckle and Katrina rolled her eyes wanting to slap him adding to his bruises.

"Oh, shut up, Jason. Do you always have to be an asshole? I mean, I thought you would, at least, stop given the situation you're currently in."

"And I have you to thank for that, don't I?" he said dropping his humor and replacing it with anger. "What do you want, Katrina? Was it not enough for you that you ruined me and my father? You have to rub it in as well?" he said and she dropped her gaze from his steel blue eyes.

"I didn't come here to do that."

"Why did you come here, then?" he asked with an agitated tone and she brought her eyes up to his. She didn't want to look him in the eye and face him without an answer. She didn't even know if she had an answer to tell him.

"I don't know. I wanted to see if talking to you…if…"

"Look, I know you feel guilty and you want to do the right thing, but…you're wasting your time. Just go run to your boyfriend and live your happy little life. I'm not your charity."

"That's not fair, and who said you were a charity to me?!"

"Come on, Katrina. The only reason you're here is because of your guilt. You think I'm supposed to take pity on you and help you with your guilt because of those words I said to you. I meant what I said, that was the only time you were going to hear that from me. I mean, honestly, did you fucking forget that I'm in this shit hole because you put me here?! I'm in here because of you!" he said leaning forward staring her straight in her eyes.

"No, you're in here because you killed someone and tried to cover it up! You're in here because you and your father thought that it was okay to kill someone to get what you wanted! Get what you thought you deserved! I say you got what you deserved…" she said as she was getting up to leave but he stopped her.

"Wait!" he said roughly grabbing her arm and the guard in the room pulled him off and pushed him, roughly, back into his seat. "Sorry, okay…sorry." he said to the guard before turning his attention back to Katrina. "Katrina, why is it so important for you to talk to me?" he said running his hands through his dark hair.

"I don't know…God, I wish I could tell you. I don't even know why myself."

"Well, that confirms your crush on me. No normal person would visit their enemy in prison unless they were attracted to them."

"Oh, yeah…that's why I'm here…get real, Jason…" Katrina said rolling her eyes.

"Hey, it could happen. It's the whole bad boy thing."

"I'm not into bad boys. Especially ones in prison."

"Ouch, that hurt, Katrina…" he said with a chuckle and, surprisingly, Katrina cracked a smile. This shocked her and she began to wonder why she was warming up to him…she hated him and would hate him forever for what he did to her. "But, seriously, it would be nice to think that a pretty girl like you was interested in me. Especially since I'm in this place." he said sadly and Katrina felt a jolt of guilt.

"How did you get the shiner and the bruises?" she said changing the topic.

"I got in a fight with these guys. It's no big deal."

"What happened? You were running your mouth or something?"

"No…this guy tried to….rape me and I kicked his ass. He's in the prison hospital. He underestimated me. Never thought a guy like me could be a fighter."

"Well, it's good to know you're good at fighting off being someone's bitch…"

"Yeah, I don't think Nate would survive a minute. With his pretty face and all."

"Okay, leave Nate out of this. You should be worried about your own ass not his."

"I'm only interested in your ass…"

"And this where I leave…" Katrina said as she stood up. She didn't know why it had bugged her that he had said that. Maybe going there was a bad idea. She should've listened to Nate and stayed far away from Jason.

"I'm sorry, but…I'm not going to apologize for that. I meant what I said when I said that I wanted you. God, I would do anything to trade place with Nate…for obvious reasons. I know it's wrong to think this, but I really wished I had a chance to fuck you, touch you, be near you. I can't help but feel as if you're torturing me right now. I hate you so much, but I want you as well. And you show up here being all friendly."

"Whoa…I wasn't being friendly. Civil, yes. Friendly, no. We're not friends, Jason. Don't get your feelings confused. It's not good for you to do that."

"Katrina, why are you here? I mean, really here?"

"Forgiveness." she simply said as she stared down at the ground.

"Well, I think I could forgive you."

"I'm not looking for forgiveness from you, jackass. I'm talking about forgiving you. I wanted to see if I could forgive you for what you did to me and Maka. I wanted to see if I could forgive myself for what I did to you. I want to change and part of that is forgiveness. I want to be a bigger person, Jason. I want to change."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Katrina. You're annoying me with this. I know I have a lot of time to think about all the bad shit I've done, but you can't afford to waste that time. Just live you life and forget about me."

"I would, but my guilt…"

"Fuck your guilt." he said interrupting her. "You know, you're making it really hard for me to want to fantasize about you."

"Ugh, then don't. Please don't. I think I'm getting sick just thinking about it…"

"Fine…" he said with a sigh. "You should go before Nate gets worried about you. He's probably thinking that I escaped and kidnapped you."

"Yeah, I should go." she said turning to the guard letting him know that she was ready to leave. "Jason…be careful. You're a little shit for what you did, but…be careful." she said unsure of why she said that. It wasn't like she cared about him or anything. In fact, she was regretting her decision to visit him in the first place. Nate was right, it was a mistake. Because, now, she was starting to consider being his friend because she felt he needed one. Yes, this was a bad idea.


	26. Chapter 26

"Katrina…" Nate said surprising her when she opened the door to her bed room. "Sorry if I scared you. Martha let me in and I decided to wait in your room."

"Oh, well, I hope you're not one of those creepy boyfriends that sit and sniff their girlfriends pillows." she said laughing as she walked over to him and joined him on the bed.

"Only when you're not looking…" he said as he kissed her. He laid her down and kissed her neck. He was tracing small circles on her stomach slowly working his hand lower to her jeans. "Fuck, you smell good. Is that a new perfume?"

"Yeah…Lola by Marc Jacobs." she said pulling him back to her neck.

"Mmm…it smells so good on you." he said as he unbuttoned her blouse revealing a purple lace bra. She moaned softly when he caressed the soft flesh of her cleavage. "I want you so much, Katrina…" he said huskily into her ear.

"Really? How much do you want me?" she said and he was about to answer but her phone rang and she swore she would kill whoever it was. She saw that it was Chuck and she nearly threw her phone against the wall. She showed the phone to Nate and he rolled his eyes.

"Do you want me to answer it or do you want to talk to him?"

"I'll answer it…" she said knowing she was going to curse him out. "Chuck, what the fuck do you want?!" she shouted and she swore she would kill him because of that stupid chuckle.

"Well, hello to you, too, Katrina. I heard that you went soft and decided to not get revenge on me. I really appreciate that you're willing to admit defeat, but admitting it before we even started…that's just sad."

"Chuck, I didn't admit defeat. I just didn't feel like being bothered with it all. You're not worth it. Besides, someone has to have a conscience in all this."

"Oh, don't tell me you're feeling guilty over what we did to Jason. Remember, he deserved it. He ruined your life and almost cost you the one you love."

"Chuck…" Nate yelled. "Leave her alone…"

"Oh, was that Nathaniel I heard. Did I interrupt a private moment between you two?"

"You know what…" Katrina said trying hard to not to lose her cool.

"What, Katrina?" Chuck said in an annoying amused tone.

"You're an asshole." she said and he merely just chuckled. "What's so fucking funny?"

"You're quite entertaining when you're angry. Anyway, I tell Nathaniel I said hello, and enjoy the rest of your day…and whatever you were doing with him." he said chuckling.

"Goodbye, Chuck." she said before she hung up and threw her phone down onto the bed. "UGH!" she yelled as she punched a pillow.

"I know, I know…I hate him, too, sometimes." Nate said as she rubbed her back.

"I hate him all of the time…" she said rolling her eyes. It amazed her how forgiving Nate was and how much he still liked Chuck. Even when everyone else hated him, he was his friend.

"I know, but you have to know that he is a lot better than Jason."

"Yeah…" she trailed off not wanting to think about Jason and how much they were getting along even if she didn't want to, fully, admit it.

"By the way, how was your visit with him? Did it accomplish what you wanted?"

"Not really. He got in a really bad fight because some guy tried to rape him, and he blames me for putting him there. Now, I feel even more guilty."

"Why?!" Nate said getting angry. He couldn't take Katrina beating herself up over that loser. He didn't know what happened to her, but he was going to kill Jason for making her feel guilty. He thought it was pretty low to put the blame on her.

"I don't know. I've never gone this far to get revenge. It just seem like I did too much and it doesn't even feel like justice for Maka. She wouldn't have cared about my revenge. And…I just feel like I made something so petty as protecting my reputation seem like a big deal."

"In this world, it is a big deal. You know that. I know you want to change, and I support you, but you have to know that it comes with a price. But, having Jason guilt trip you into thinking that it was your fault is not that price. He and his father are in there for a reason that's not your fault, and if he doesn't see that…" he said but was interrupted by Katrina kissing him.

"Enough talking about Chuck and Jason…let's continue with what we were doing…" she said with a sexy grin and Nate laughed when she tackled him to her bed.

"That sounds like a great idea to me…" he trailed off as he started to pull off her jeans.

"You didn't answer my question…" she said as she shrugged out of her blouse.

"What question was that?" he said as he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. He was working on his jeans when she spoke again.

"How much do you want me?" she said helping him pull his jeans and underwear off.

"I want you this much…" he said as he laid her down and began kissing her leg starting at her ankle working his way up to her thigh. "And this much…" he said doing the other leg the same way. "And this much…" he said as he pulled off her panties. "And, definitely, this much." he said before devouring her making her moan out.

"Nate…" she called out as she gripped the back of his head when his tongue circled her clit. She rolled her hips creating an even more intense sensation. She felt herself nearing an orgasm when he sucked on the sensitive bud. "Oh, shit!" she said as she came.

"You're so fucking sexy when you come…" he said as he laid on top of her. "So sexy…" he trailed off before he entered her. They, both, moaned at the feeling as he started to fuck her. Katrina closed her eyes and when she opened them she saw Jason lying above her making love to her. She gasped and shut her eyes tight trying to block his image out of her head. When she opened them, she saw Nate. She kept staring at him so she wouldn't see Jason's face again. She didn't know why she thought about him. She hated him. "Katrina…" Nate moaned out and she snapped out of that thought and only felt Nate.

"Nate…" she said as he reached in between them and rubbed her clit in time with his thrusting. She couldn't help herself, but she closed her eyes again and was afraid to open them. She just kept thinking about Nate's eyes. His liquid blue eyes instead of Jason steel blue ones. No, she thought. She only loved Nate, she only cared about Nate. He hated Jason.

"Katrina, I love you!" he said as he came and she followed him afterwards. They separated and Katrina clung to him a few moments longer feeling guilty that she had thought about Jason. She wondered why she was thinking about him. She hated him, and she felt that he did deserve to be in prison. Yet…she didn't know why she was feeling so guilty. And she didn't know why she thought about him. "Katrina…" Nate said with caution in his voice.

"Yeah, Nate?" she said with a smile trying to hide her distress. Hopefully, Nate wouldn't see right through her like all the other times. For once, she wished she wasn't so transparent. She wished that Nate was completely clueless just this one time. At least, she hoped he was.

"Are you okay? You're very quiet. Was it something I did? Was it Chuck?"

"No, no…it wasn't you. Yeah, it was him." she said with a smile. "Chuck had kinda ruined it for me." she said hating that she lied to him. What was wrong with her?


	27. Chapter 27

Katrina sat once again in the cold, gray room waiting on Jason. She had decided that this was her last "clear the guilty conscience." visit. After that scary moment of thinking about Jason while she was having sex with Nate, she made it up in her mind that seeing him after this was not the best idea. She loved Nate, and she hated Jason. She was just so confused.

"Hello, Katrina." Jason said as he sat down. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he said leaning forward. His face changed. "Mmm…you smell good. Is that a new perfume?"

"Yeah, Lola by Marc Jacobs…" she trailed off noticing he was openly sniffing her and it made her feel uncomfortable. "Anyway, I came here to tell you something."

"What is it? If it's about your guilty conscience…"

"Yes," she said interrupting him. "It's about that. This will be my last visit. It's not like I've suddenly developed a cleared conscience or anything. I still feel very guilty, but I shouldn't visit you anymore. It's just not a good idea."

"Why not, Katrina?" he said getting angry, but she could tell he was also hurt.

"I don't know…I just can't."

"That's not good enough, Katrina. Why can't you visit me anymore? Did Nate tell you to be a good little girl and not see the big, bad wolf?"

"No." she said glaring at him and a smirk formed on his face.

"Wait, he doesn't know you're here, does he?"

"Yes, he does, actually."

"So, I was right. He told you to stay away from me."

"No, he didn't. Just shut up."

"Why can't you visit me anymore, Katrina? What? Was seeing me making you feel even more guilty?" he said in a softer tone. It was almost as if he didn't want her to feel guilty.

"Yes…" she said lowering her eyes. "And something else, but I'm not telling you that."

"Oh, come on, tell me. I won't tell Nate if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not. It's just…it's embarrassing." she said and he gave her a look. "Fine, I'll tell you, but if you tell anyone about this, I will make sure your precious little ass won't be protected and I will make sure every prisoner feast on you daily and nightly."

"Wow, that's really kinky, Katrina. I like it." he said with a grin and she rolled her eyes. "Come on, I'm just kidding with you."

"Well, I'm serious." she said staring him in his steel blue eyes.

"Okay, I won't tell. I promise. Now, what is it?"

"God, I can't believe I'm telling you this…"

"Just tell me already." he said with an impatient tone.

"Alright, alright…a few days ago, I was with Nate…by the way, don't be a jackass about what I'm about to tell you, it's embarrassing…anyway, I was with Nate and I had a moment when I imagined you…" she said hating that she just admitted that to him. She knew she had clearly lost her mind and all sense in the world.

"You were thinking of me, huh?" he said with a smug grin.

"I told you to not be a jackass about this…"

"Well, you can't drop something like that on a guy and not expect him to react. It's unfair, especially when I spend most of my nights thinking of you when I'm jerk…" he stopped with an embarrassed chuckled. "Well, you know."

"Ugh…I wish I didn't…" she said as she grimaced thinking about Jason masturbating and thinking of her. She shivered at the thought.

"Can you blame me? Katrina, you're beautiful. I think about how you would feel…I know your skin is unbelievable soft."

"Jason, stop. I don't feel the same way."

"I know that." he said snapping. "Just let a guy fantasize, will you? So, was I on top? Were you on top? Did you imagine my face buried between your thighs? Did you imagine my fingers?" he said moving his fingers in a circular motion on the table.

"Jason…" she said in a warning tone. She was warning him to stop because a small part of her was actually curious, and she hated that. She knew it was wrong to be curious, but he wasn't making it easier for her.

"I'm sorry. You're just so fucking beautiful. It's refreshing to see you. Please, don't stop seeing me. See, I'm begging. I never thought I would do that unless you were wearing a tight leather outfit and a whip." he said with a smirk and she rolled her eyes.

"Really, Jason…" she said as she rubbed her temples.

"Sorry…couldn't resist that image. But, seriously, I like when you visit me. I need a friend…even if you hate me. Someone is better than no one at all."

"I'll think about it." she said as she stood up and trying to figure out whether it would be good or not…well, she knew it was a bad idea, but she couldn't help wanting to be his friend.

"Okay…I'll be waiting for you." he said holding his hand out and she looked at his hand with caution. "It's called a handshake, Katrina." he said jokingly.

"I know…I'm just not used to you being so…nice."

"I can be nice when I want to, you know?" he said as she, slowly, slipped her palm into his and shook his hand. "Ooh, your hands are so soft…just like I imagined."

"Okay…" she said pulling her hand back. "No more thinking about me at night for you."

"I can't help it. Goodbye, Katrina." he said as she left.

Katrina collected her things and was leaving the prison when Nate called her. That was the thing she needed to remind her of her love for him and to forget about any wandering thoughts about Jason. She felt as if she was cheating on Nate, and it killed her. She no longer hated Jason as much as she did before, and she didn't know why. Jason was right…no sane person would visit a person they hated unless they had a crush on them. But, she couldn't have a crush on him…she loved Nate. However, she knew he was noticing her distance lately. She was trying to hide it and pretend as if everything was normal, but she knew he knew.

"Hey, Nate. What's up?" she said hoping he couldn't tell that she was upset. She didn't want to lose him, but she couldn't help feeling as if she had lost him already.

"Nothing…I just wanted to know if you wanted to go out tonight. A friend of family invited me to his restaurant opening, and I want you to join me."

"Sure. I'd love that. What kind of restaurant?"

"I'm not sure…but, I'm sure it's nice. He's an amazing chef."

"Okay. Did you want me to meet you there?"

"No, I think I'll pick you up. I have a surprise for you."

"Oh, don't do that, you know I don't have any patience."

"Well, you'll just have to wait. See you later, Katrina."

"See you." she said as she hung up. She loved him, but there was still that nagging feeling for Jason. She was so confused, and she needed someone. She needed her grandma.


	28. Chapter 28

While waiting on Nate to pick her up, Katrina decided to call her grandmother for help. It had scared her that she might have feelings for Jason and not love Nate anymore. She didn't want to lose Nate. He was such a good guy, and he didn't deserve it.

"Hey, Katrina! I was wondering if you were gonna call me…How you been, baby?"

"I'm okay…not really…" she said not wanting to lie.

"What's wrong, baby?" Lucille said in a concerned voice.

"I messed up…You know that situation I was in before I came here?"

"Yeah, I remember." Lucille said and Katrina could just see her shaking her head in pity. She knew her grandmother hated the world she was in. "So, I guess you got revenge your on that Jason boy…" Lucille said with a hit of disapproval in her voice.

"Yeah, I did. I had to practically make a deal with the devil, Chuck Bass, and I did something bad. I called out Jason's family secret out in public and he's in prison because of it."

"Katrina…why'd you do something like that?"

"It wasn't like he didn't deserve it. He and his father killed people to protect their life. He ended a life, but…I feel like I've ended his. He's in prison and I felt so guilty I went to see him…twice. I don't know why, but I think I may have feelings for him. He started baring his soul and I don't know if that's because he's been stripped of his old life or pride, but…I'm so confused. I want to be with Nate and I don't want to hurt him. I'm not even sure if this thing for Jason is real. I'm trying to be his friend, but…" she said trying not to cry.

"You know what I think, Katrina? I think you're trying to be a good person, but you're going about it the wrong way. You can't let your guilt get in the way of your feelings for Nate. True, you may have crossed the line with outing Jason and all that, but he shouldn't hold that over your head. Especially if he was gonna be there anyway."

"I know, but…no matter how horrible he is…he's still human."

"That is true. He's human, but he wasn't thinking about your feelings when he did all that to you. I know you want to be a good person, and that's fine. Don't ever stop trying to be a good person, but sometimes, we just can't be perfect. Ain't nobody perfect but God. It's not your responsibility to keep him happy to satisfy your conscience. It's fine to want to be Jason's friend, but you shouldn't feel like you have to because you helped put him in prison for a crime he committed. You shouldn't let it come between you and Nate. And I'm not just saying this because I think Nate is a nice boy and I'm selfishly playing cupid to keep you two together. He loves you. He really loves you."

"I know…and I love him." she said knowing that she still believed she loved him.

"Then love him and stop this Jason foolishness." Lucille joked and Katrina laughed.

"I will. Thank you for helping me." Katrina said in a loving tone.

"You're welcome, baby. I knew all this wisdom was gonna come in handy one day."

"Oh, I gotta go. Nate is here. I'll talk to you later and I love you."

"I love you, too, baby. And tell you're mother I said I love her and to call me sometime."

"I will. She's just so busy. I barely get to see her. But I'll tell her. Bye."

"Was that the lovely Lucille on the phone?" Nate said as he hugged and kissed her.

"Yeah…I called her. I haven't talked to her in a while and I was missing her too much."

"Aww…I'm sorry you're missing her. I miss her, too."

"You do? Well, I'll have to tell her that. She really likes you."

"Well, I'm sure she'll love me more when she finds out my surprise for you…" he said with a grin and Katrina's heart was racing. He wasn't going to propose to her, was he?

"What's your surprise?" she asked cautiously.

"I think it's better if I show you instead of telling you. I'll be right back." he said as he left her room and she was waiting there hoping he wasn't about to propose. She didn't know how she would answer him. Even if she didn't have her doubts about her feelings for Jason, she wasn't ready for marriage. She rarely event thought about it. "Close your eyes." he said as he returned and she closed her eyes hoping he didn't have a jewelry box with him or was on one knee when she opened her eyes again.

"Can I open my eyes, now?" she said trying to hide her anxiousness.

"Yes." he said and she opened her eyes to see Nate holding what looked like a journal. This confused her until she saw him open it to the first page and she saw a publishing contract.

"I'm going to be published?" she said as tears of joy were welling in her eyes. "How?"

"I called a friend of the family's and got him to pull some strings with a guy he knew and it happened. They want to publish a book of your poems."

"How? Has he seen any of my stuff? Why would he publish me without seeing my stuff?"

"Well…he sort of have seen your stuff. Your mother helped with gather up some poems of yours and I put together a portfolio."

"Okay…you're gonna get enough of talking to my parents without talking to me first."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to surprise you. You do like the surprise, don't you?"

"Yes, I love it! Thank you so much! I love you." she said as she kissed him.

"I love you. Come on, we should get going. Now we have a reason to celebrate." he said as he took her hand and they walked out of her room.

"So, how did you convince my mother to help you."

"Actually…you're father did." he said smiling as he looked at her shocked expression.

"My dad?!" she said feeling completely confused. "Okay, how did you pull that off?"

"I was looking for your mom, but your dad was here. After a small argument and harsh words, he asked my why I loved you so much and I told him."

"What did you tell him?" she asked looking at him.

"I asked him how he felt when he knew your mother was the one. I told him that it was the same feeling I had about you. You're deeper than anyone I've known. You have a great heart. I mean, you have to if you're willing to visit Jason…"

"Nate…" she said interrupting him because she didn't want to think about Jason.

"Katrina, I know there's something between you two. It may not be sexual or romantic, but there's something. He's a persistent little bastard, but I love you, and I know you love me. Call me crazy, but I'm willing to compete with a guy in prison for you. Love can make a person do crazy things. I know we're different. You hate my friends, especially Chuck. Your father doesn't like me. He tolerates me, but he doesn't like me. There's a million reasons why we should and shouldn't be together. I don't care about any of that. I love you and that's all I know." he said as he kissed her. "I don't care how much you're going to argue with me on this. You have changed into a wonderful person."

He was right, she thought. She didn't even want revenge on Chuck anymore and she had forgiven Jason. The slimy caterpillar had transformed into a beautiful butterfly. She was sure she was still going to make mistakes, still have her evil moments, but she knew she would have them less because she was a better person. She had her family, friends, and Nate to help her.


End file.
